Year of the Raven
by beautifulpurpleflame
Summary: After Raven leaves due to her powers going out of control, she returns much more at peace. From there she has one of the most interesting years of her life. BBxRae
1. Prologue

**AN: Nope, no ownership yet… deal with it**

**Prologue**

She wasn't sure what was wrong with her. Was her grip slipping? Were her powers growing stronger? They should have been growing weaker, if anything. She believed that with the destruction of her father she would be freer to feel as much as she wanted. But, lately, even the smallest hint of emotion caused damage. Even when her father was around, she was able to at least let out a small smile once in a while, a chuckle, or an annoyed groan. But even those small things had horrible consequences now.

She walked into the common room and saw her friends going about their usual business. Robin was planted in front of his stereo, concentrating on the music it was emitting. Beast Boy was losing to Cyborg, once again, at videogames. And Starfire was humming to herself as she washed Silkie in the sink. She walked over to one of the large windows and prepared herself to meditate for a little while.

She crossed her legs and floated above the ground. She closed her eyes and began to recite her mantra. "Azarath… metrion… zinthos…" she said quietly to herself. Soon the sound of Robin's stereo and the videogame faded away and she was in her own little world of tranquility.

The tower began to flash and siren screamed. Raven's concentration was immediately broken, as was the window she was sitting in front of. And it wasn't simply cracked, it was completely shattered and she wasn't sure what was holding it up.

"Dude!" said Beast Boy at the sight of the broken window.

"Whoa," said Cyborg.

"Uh, Raven, you okay?" asked Robin.

"…Yes," she said, putting the hood of her cloak up. "Yes, I'm fine. I'm sorry."

"Please, where is the trouble?" asked Starfire as she walked over to the group with Silkie wrapped in a towel in her arms.

Robin went to the computer and got to work. "Looks like it's Plasmus," he said.

"Awe, dude, I'm so not in the mood to fight Plasmus," said Beast Boy, his shoulders slumping.

"I do not believe any of us are ever in 'the mood' to fight a bad guy," said Starfire.

"True," said Beast Boy.

"Well, let's go," said Robin. "Hopefully this won't take too long."

And with that the group headed out. Raven was thankful that they had forgotten about the window they would have to repair when they came home. That was the biggest thing she'd broken yet. And it was only because she was slightly startled by the sound of the Titans' alarm going off. She really needed to get a handle on this.

Plasmus let out a gurgle of a growl as he attacked a toxic waste disposal facility. He needed to build his strength, and the best way to do that was to juice up. He tore one of the walls of the building down and reached in. He pulled out a barrel with the words TOXIC on the side of it. He quickly ripped the cover off and downed it.

No sooner had he finished the barrel when a bird-a-rang came flying out of nowhere and knocked the barrel out of his hand. He looked surprised for a moment then turned to see the Teen Titans. He growled and with a monstrous cry shot two goopy arms at them. They all quickly dashed out of the way and went on with the attack.

Cyborg shot his sonic canon at the creature while Starfire rained starbolts upon it. But these were mere distractions. Beast Boy turned into T-rex and as soon as Cyborg and Starfire finished up their assault he rammed the sticky monster. He gurgled with surprise and went tumbling backwards. Robin was ready with carefully placed ropes that tripped him further until he finally fell to the ground with a sploosh!

"Raven now!" Robin shouted.

Raven closed her eyes, and when she reopened them they were completely back. "Azarath metrion zinthos!" she cried and a large black portal opened beneath Plasmus. He fell through it and Raven quickly flew in after him.

Plasmus was quite surprised to find himself suddenly in a large container. Raven had made sure to drop him off right in his usual sleeping tube. Once she was on the other side of the portal as well she concentrated and entered its mind. She quickly put it in an unconscious state and the goop faded away to reveal a pitiful looking man, fast asleep.

"Well… that was easy," said Raven, and she made her way back to her friends.

The four Titans looked at the mess that Plasmus had left. They couldn't believe they had taken down Plasmus so easily. They had basically figured out a perfect plan for all of the villains they fought on a daily business. They were glad for that, since it made their job so much easier.

Raven reappeared and said, "He's contained."

"Really?" asked Cyborg. "Man, that was easier than I thought."

"I am most glad that this fight was not troublesome," said Starfire.

"I think we all are," said Robin. "Nice work team."

"Can we go home now?" asked Raven.

"I would rather that we stay here and wait for the clean up crew," said Robin. "This stuff is toxic and I don't want anyone wandering over here and getting contaminated."

Raven sighed, miffed at the fact that she couldn't go home and meditate. Suddenly the empty barrel Plasmus had drank from exploded into the air. They were all quite shocked by this, including Raven. Because she was shocked, all of the windows in the building shattered. Again, she was startled by this and various objects began exploding. She quickly grabbed her head and fell to her knees.

"Get a hold of yourself, Raven," she said to herself, harshly. "Calm down. Don't feel anything, don't feel anything, don't… feel… anything!"

"Raven…"

She felt a hand on her shoulder, and this made her jump. The remaining bits from the side of the building Plasmus had busted through blew apart, sending various debris at the Titans. They all ducked for cover, including Beast Boy, who had placed his hand on her.

"What is going on?" asked Starfire.

"Raven's freakin out, that's what's goin on!" said Cyborg above the crashing of the debris.

"Raven, you need to calm down!" Robin ordered.

He had no idea how much she wanted to. She decided to get out of there before she could do more damage. She quickly melted through the ground and then found herself on the common room floor. She breathed a sigh of relief and got to her feet. She looked up and saw the shattered window. What was going on with her?

The four remaining Titans waited for the clean up crew and then headed home as fast as they could. The broken window could be seen from a distance and they knew they had to take care of it as soon as possible.

"Should one of us go to her room to see if she is well?" asked Starfire.

"I think she's as freaked out as we are," said Cyborg. "We should just leave her alone for a while."

"Cyborg's right," said Robin. "She'll come talk to us when she feels like it. The worst thing we can do is intrude on her privacy while her powers are… unstable."

"I've never seen her wig out like that," said Beast Boy. "And what about the window? What the heck was that about?"

"I don't know," said Robin. "But, speaking of which, Cyborg, call the glass company up again."

"I'm on it," said Cyborg, going to the phone.

Nearly three hours passed before Raven finally came out of her room. She walked into the common room with her head hanging, her heart heavy. She looked up sadly and saw all of her friends were waiting for her.

"Hello," she said.

"Hi," they all responded.

"You feeling okay?" asked Robin.

"Yeah, you sorta scared us with that little episode," said Cyborg. "Anythin you need to talk about?"

"Actually, yes," said Raven, bowing her head again. "I'm… I'm leaving."

"What? Why?" asked Starfire.

"Because I can no longer control my powers," said Raven.

"We can get you help, Raven," said Robin. "You don't need to leave."

"That's why I'm leaving," said Raven. "To get help. There is no one on Earth who can help me. I must travel between dimensions and look for someone who specializes in my type of abilities. Trust me, I don't want to leave."

"Then do not!" said Starfire. "We shall get you the help. Please, Raven, do not go."

"I'm also leaving so I don't endanger your lives," she said plainly. "I can't in good conscience stay here and risk your lives because I don't want to leave the comfort of the tower. But, this isn't forever."

"How long will it be?" asked Beast Boy.

"I'm not sure," said Raven. "But, I will come back, that I'm sure of. I'm not quitting the Titans."

"Do you really think that leaving is necessary?" asked Robin. "I mean, how long have you been having problems with your powers?"

"A few months," said Raven. "I thought I could handle it, that I was just getting sloppy with my meditation. But I was wrong. For some reason, my powers are growing stronger and I am now unable to control them."

"And you haven't a clue as to why?" asked Cyborg.

"Yeah, you usually know everything," said Beast Boy.

"No, I don't know why," said Raven, feeling rather stupid. "But I'm determined to find out. I just need to know that you guys will be okay without me."

"Well, it won't be easy," said Robin. "But the crime rate has decreased lately and we are able to take down criminals easier nowadays. So, I think we'll be okay."

"Good," said Raven. "I'm leaving now." She turned walked out of the common room. Within two seconds she heard her four teammates following after her.

"You are leaving now?" asked Starfire.

"Like _now_ now?" asked Beast Boy.

"Yes," said Raven simply as she walked to her room.

"Are you prepared?" asked Cyborg. "I mean, have you ever been outside of this dimension before?"

"I grew up in another dimension," said Raven. "And I'm plenty prepared. What do you think I was doing for the past three hours?"

She reached her door and slid it open. The four Titans were stunned to see that her room was completely bare.

"Uh, where's all of your stuff?" asked Robin.

"Here," said Raven, holding up a modest looking duffel bag.

"Dude, you've got to be a packing guru or something," Beast Boy chuckled.

"I used my magic, you twit," Raven sighed.

"Oh," said Beast Boy, feeling rather dumb.

"Oh, Raven, I shall miss you so much!" said Starfire, giving Raven a large hug. Raven bit her lip and commanded herself not to let any emotions show. She had caused enough damage for the day. "Please, you promise to return?"

"You're the only friends I have," said Raven, plainly. "Of course I'm coming back."

"Well, um, good luck," said Robin, extending his hand to her. He never was very good at expressing feelings either.

"Likewise," said Raven, shaking his hand.

"We're definitely gonna miss you," said Cyborg, putting his large robotic hand on her shoulder.

"I'll miss all of you too," said Raven.

Beast Boy lunged at her and hugged her. "Bye Raven," he said, squeezing her tightly. "I'll make sure to save a few good jokes just for you."

"No, really, you don't have to," said Raven, prying him off of her. He took a few steps back and Raven got one last good look at her team and friends. "Well… goodbye." And with that she flew up through the ceiling and was gone.


	2. Five Years Later

**AN: Nope, no ownership yet… deal with it**

**Five Years Later**

The tower looked exactly the same. Of course, the shattered glass of the window she had broken was replaced, but still. She smiled softly as it came into view. She had been longing to see this for five years. Five very long years. She hoped she would still be welcome. She hated how abruptly she had had to leave, but if she hadn't she could have done more damage.

She landed on the roof and felt her smile grow wider. She was home. Now she had to decide on how to make her entrance. She checked to make sure they were all home. She did a mind check and found all four. She also concluded that they were all in the common room. She chuckled at the fact that five years after she left they still all congregated in the common room. She smiled and soon melted through the roof.

They didn't even hear her as she manifested into the room. She watched them for a minute, silently. Starfire and Robin were in the kitchen cooking while Cyborg and Beast Boy were lounging on the couch watching TV. Suddenly, Beast Boy sat up straight and sniffed the air.

"You okay?" asked Cyborg.

"I… I smell…" he said, sniffing. "Something familiar… I smell…" He turned his head and looked behind the couch. His eyes went wide and he felt his heart stop for a second. "R-R-Raven!"

Cyborg turned and his jaw dropped. Robin and Starfire stopped preparing their meal and turned to see her. They all had the same shocked looked on their faces.

"Well… isn't anyone going to say hello?" she asked. She stood with one hand on her hip and a smirk across her face. She was in all white; her boots, her leotard, her cloak. Her figure was now matured and she looked to be a woman. Her violet hair was still pin straight, but fell to her lower back. Her face was different as well. Not just the fact that it was more mature, but there was a spark of life behind her eyes. She even looked natural with a smile, something they had never seen before.

"Raven!" screeched Starfire. Before Raven could say anything, Starfire wrapped her arms around her dearly missed friend and squeezed the bejesus out of her. "We have missed you so much! I thought about you every day."

"That's nice to know," said Raven through her strained lungs. Starfire released her and stood back, clasping her hands in joy. She had matured as well, her body still long and thin, but developed. She had the same long, flowing unnaturally red hair. Her uniform was even more revealing now, but was somehow still tasteful. Well, tasteful to Starfire at least.

"We were wondering when you were going to come back," said Robin with a smile. He was taller now and had the face of a man. Not to mention the body of one as well. His hair was a little shorter, but still quaffed perfectly with just the right amount of hair gell. His suit was no longer the colors of a traffic light, but red and back with yellow here and there. This accentuated his strong muscles. The signature mask remained, as well as his signature serious look.

"I know, sorry it took so long," said Raven. "But I'm back and ready to get back to work if you'll have me."

"Are you kiddin?" laughed Cyborg as he hugged her next. "The team hasn't been the same without ya!" He looked basically the same, which wasn't a bad thing. The only thing that had changed was his face, which was a little more defined. She noticed that the robotic parts that held his face seemed to be altered slightly to adjust to his matured bone structure.

Raven then turned her attention to Beast Boy and her jaw dropped. "Oh my god," she said aloud, obviously shocked.

He was as tall as Robin and had a beautiful body. Still thin, but defined and healthy. His face was sharper now and held no evidence that there was any boy left in him. His hair was a bit longer now, but he made sure to spike it as well as possible. She didn't have the heart to tell him it almost looked like how Robin's hair used to look. But it suited him well enough, especially when it partially fell in front of his glittering, seducing jade eyes. His suit was still black and purple, but the design was completely different. He had no sleeves, revealing his sculpted arms, and had elbow length black gloves that lacked fingers. The black areas of the suit now had purple tiger stripes as well.

"Uh, heh, I thought you'd be surprised," said Beast Boy, scratching the back of his head awkwardly.

"That's putting it mildly," said Raven, her eyes still wide with shock. "When did this happen?"

"About a year after you left," said Cyborg, grinning. "Lil grass stain finally hit puberty."

"Hey, shut up!" said Beast Boy, shoving Cyborg so hard he was actually pushed away from the group. He was certainly stronger now. And his voice was no longer squeaky, but deep and mature. It actually sent a shiver up Ravens spine to hear him talk with such a different voice.

"Raven, you are back to stay, yes?" asked Starfire with hopeful eyes.

"Yes," said Raven with a small smile and a nod.

"Glorious!" said Starfire, hugging her again.

"So what happened?" asked Robin. "I mean, obviously you must have gotten control of your powers."

"Yes, I did," said Raven. "But, before I tell you everything, I'd really like to sit down. I've had a long journey."

They all went over to the couch and sat down, with Raven in the middle. They were all waiting anxiously for her to tell them what had happened the past five years.

"Much better," said Raven, sitting down. "Alright, I suppose I should explain why my powers went out of control in the first place."

"Sounds like a good place to start," said Cyborg.

"Well, it turns out I was going through a sort of demon puberty," said Raven. "When a demon hits this period in their life, usually in the middle of their teenage years rather than the beginning like in a human puberty, their powers are strengthened immensely. Usually, though, the demon is able to quickly adjust to the new powers so that nothing blows up. Unfortunately, for me, I'm only half demon. So that control I should have had was lost."

"Then how'd you become in control?" asked Beast Boy.

"I was lucky enough to find a dimension that knew all about my situation," said Raven. "I cannot reveal the name of the dimension, for fear that my demon relatives will find them, but it was very much like Azarath. When I arrived I learned that they had heard of me. They knew of a girl that had overpowered her father, Trigon the Terrible. But they thought me to only be a myth. You can imagine the look on their faces when I revealed to them that I was real."

"They must have been pretty shocked," said Robin.

"Let's just say all of their beliefs were thrown out of whack," said Raven with a small smile. "Anyway, they told me that the only way for me to take control of my powers was to purify the demon within me. That would give me back the control I had before."

"And how did they do the purifying?" asked Starfire.

"Well, uh, they baptized me," said Raven, slightly laughing. "You see, because I grew up in Azarath, I wasn't aware that some religions performed such an act. If I had known about it I would have done it years ago. Anyway, they blessed me with holy water and the evil that still lingered within me was destroyed."

"Is that why you're in all white?" asked Cyborg.

"Basically," said Raven. "After I was baptized I found that I could show more of my emotions. Not completely, mind you, but I could now show fifty percent of them. Which is a huge increase to what I was able to show before which was more around three percent. Because I could now express myself a little more freely, I could actually feel happiness and that put me in a state of being at peace. That's why I'm now in white."

"Why'd it take you five years to come home?" asked Beast Boy.

"Well… let's just say the baptism took a while," said Raven. "It was more like a baptism/exorcism. And if you now anything about exorcisms they sometimes need to be performed two or three times before the evil within is destroyed. For me, since I'm half pure evil, it took twenty good passes. And in between each exorcism we had to wait three months for my body to adjust. Exorcisms are very draining on both the performer and the poor soul having it performed on. That's why it took me five years."

"And you're sure all of the evil is gone?" asked Robin.

"Yes, I'm sure," said Raven, nodding.

"Well it's good to have you back," said Cyborg.

"Oh, yes, this is a special day indeed!" said Starfire, clapping. "Robin, we must finish preparing our meal so that we may have a celebratory dinner for Raven." She grabbed his hand and led him back to the kitchen.

"I take it they're still together," said Raven with a small smirk.

"Oh yeah," said Beast Boy with a smile.

"Couldn't separate those two if ya tried," Cyborg laughed.

"It's nice to know some things haven't changed," said Raven, looking at the taller, more adult looking Beast Boy.

"Don't worry," said Cyborg. "Beast Boy may have changed on the outside, but he's still the corny little jokester he was five years ago."

"Hey, I resent that!" said Beast Boy. "I'll have you know my sense of humor has matured greatly."

"Oh really?" asked Raven. "Then tell me a joke."

"Gladly," he said with a smile. "What do giraffes have that no other animal have?"

"Baby giraffes," Raven sighed, rolling her eyes.

"No… wait, how'd you know that?" asked Beast Boy, shocked.

"You told me that joke five years ago," said Raven.

Cyborg began laughing and Beast Boy felt rather embarrassed.

"Uh, yeah, I knew that," said Beast Boy, thinking quickly. "I just wanted to make sure you remembered. Heh, some memory you've got there."

"Thank you," said Raven.

"Alright, here's a newer one," said Beast Boy. "It's a riddle. Okay, here it is. For me, I slap you. Because of you, I slap me. Hitting your skin, my blood flows. What is 'you'?"

Raven's small smile vanished and she began to think deeply. She was usually good at riddles, but, then again, she hadn't heard any riddles in five years, so her mind was a bit rusty. She asked him to repeat it, which he was happy to do. She thought hard, but for some reason no answer seemed to fit.

"Do you give up?" asked Beast Boy with a grin.

Raven sighed and said, "Yes, I do. What's the answer?"

"A mosquito," he said, proudly.

Then it all clicked in her mind and she slapped her forehead. "Of course!" she said. Then she turned to Beast Boy and smiled. "That was a good one. You have been working on your jokes."

"Well, I wanted to impress you when you returned," said Beast Boy, relishing the fact that he had actually told Raven a joke she considered good.

"And you actually did," she said. "Good job." And with that she stood up and said, "I'm going to unpack."

Beast Boy watched her leave and then turned to Cyborg. "Thanks for not saying anything, dude," he said.

"No problem," said Cyborg. "I told you you could use that joke on Raven when she returned."

"Yeah, but I was afraid that were gonna tell her that it was your joke and take all of the credit," said Beast Boy.

"Well, it is my joke, but I think you got much better use out of it than I ever could," said Cyborg. "I mean, I know she thinks I'm funny. Just do my chores for the next two days and we'll call it even."

"Two days!" exclaimed Beast Boy.

"Hey, I helped you achieve an impossible goal," said Cyborg. "The least you can do is my fifth of the tower chores today and tomorrow."

"Fine," said Beast Boy, rolling his eyes. "See if I ever accept your help again."

"You say that every time," said Cyborg, ruffling Beast Boy's hair.

"Dude!" he screamed, shooing his hand away and fixing his hair.


	3. The Book of Scraps

**AN: Nope, no ownership yet… deal with it**

**The Book of Scraps**

It felt so good to be in her room again. She knew that they hadn't entered it since she left, for the air was stale. That or they hadn't been in there for at least a year without opening the window. She did a quick dusting and then unpacked all of her possessions. Once she was satisfied she decided to go see her friends again. She felt so light hearted and happy, something she never felt before. This whole 'being pure' thing was the best thing that had ever happened to her. She was quite glad for the demon puberty.

After dinner, which was actually quite good even if Starfire had a hand in it, Raven went up to the roof to meditate for a little while. She was so happy to be welcomed back so warmly by her team. She wasn't sure what to expect when she returned. She was glad they were accepting that she had to leave.

As she meditated she felt another presence near her. "I see old habits die hard," said Raven. "You haven't forgotten how to interrupt my meditation."

"Hey, I come up here every night, just so you know," said Beast Boy, walking over to the edge of the roof. He took a seat and dangled his legs off of the edge. "It just happens that tonight you're up here too."

"I'll have to remember that so I don't intrude on your roof time," said Raven, opening one eye.

"Eh, I don't care," said Beast Boy, shrugging. "It's not like you're annoying or anything. Though, you could be now. You've certainly changed over the years."

"Not as much as you," said Raven. "I barely recognized you."

"I could tell when you said 'Oh my god!'," Beast Boy laughed. Then he went quiet for a moment. "Uh, when you said that, was it a good 'oh my god' or a bad 'oh my god'?"

"Don't worry, it was good," said Raven, chuckling.

"Wow, you're laughing," said Beast Boy with a smile.

"I know," she said with a soft smile. She descended from her place in the air and took a seat next to him. "Isn't it wonderful?"

"Yeah," he said, softly smiling back. "Yeah, it is." He had never seen Raven like this before. It was almost like this wasn't her at all. Before, when she was close to him he felt a tinge of fear in his stomach and anxiousness. Now she truly did seem at peace. In the two hours she had been home he had yet to see her without a smile on her face. She seemed to glow now. Yes, she had certainly changed.

"So why do you come out here every night?" asked Raven.

"I like to either watch the sunset or take a look at the stars," said Beast Boy.

"I don't recall you doing that before," said Raven.

"Yeah, well, the tower began to get a little too stuffy for me," said Beast Boy. "Not to mention the fact that my sudden surge in hormones made me a little… aggressive at times towards Cy and Robin."

"I'm certainly glad I wasn't here for that," said Raven. "I can only imagine the stories they have."

"Uh, yeah, I kinda made them promise to forget about those couple years," said Beast Boy with an embarrassed laugh. "I really made a jackass out of myself."

"Well, that's nothing new," said Raven with a smirk. She then leaned back and lay down on the roof, looking up at the darkening sky above her. "It's been so long since I've seen the stars."

"They're not out yet," said Beast Boy. "The sun just went down."

"I can see a couple," said Raven, then she lifted her arm to the heavens. "There and there and there." Beast Boy lay back and looked up to see if he could see any stars. She had been right, there were a couple, but they were faint.

"Wow, I never would have seen those," said Beast Boy.

"Well, if you just take the time, you can see things you'd usually overlook," said Raven.

Beast Boy chuckled and said, "You have no idea how much I've missed your little pearls of wisdom. I really am glad you're back."

"I'm glad I'm back, too," said Raven. Then she sat up and got to her feet. "Well, I'll leave you to your stars. I have some catching up to do with the other Titans. I'll see you later, Beast Boy." And with that she headed inside.

Beast Boy turned his head and watched as she left. He couldn't believe his wish for Raven had come true. He had wishes for all of his friends, as do all good friends have for their friends. He wished that Cyborg could be human again. He wished Robin would not be so serious and would actually enjoy life. He wished that Starfire could grasp Earthling living well enough so that she wouldn't stand out in a crowd. And he had wished that Raven would be able to feel all of the emotions he felt everyday without a second thought. And, now, she was.

"Oh, Raven, I must show you!" said Starfire, grabbing Ravens hand and bringing her over to the couch. "I have made a book of scraps to show you for when you returned. Please take a look!"

Starfire dropped the seven inch thick scrap book on Ravens lap. Raven gave a startled sound as the heavy book was dropped onto her, but did her best to ignore it since Starfire was staring right at her.

"Wow, thank you so much, Starfire," said Raven as she opened it up. She found that there was a collection of newspaper clippings from all of the Titans missions and photographs of various outings they went on with little captions written by Starfire. Raven slowly took her time and looked through every single page. As she read Starfire pointed out various clippings or pictures and told the story behind it. Luckily, Robin and Cyborg were there to help decipher Starfire's mixed words.

Eventually, Beast Boy came down from the roof and joined the group in telling Raven everything that had happened over the past five years. They had had some close calls and a met a few new villains, but luckily it was nothing they couldn't handle.

"Wow, it looks like you guys have been fine without me," said Raven with a sad smile. "Maybe you don't need me."

"Trust me, we need you," said Cyborg. "Just because our missions were successful doesn't mean they were easy by any means."

"Yeah, we definitely need you," said Robin.

"Well, it's nice to feel needed," said Raven.

"Oh, this is from when we did the defeating of Mumbo Jumbo!" said Starfire, pointing to a newspaper clipping. There was a photo on the article and it showed Cyborg laughing hysterically while the other three Titans were clad in only balloon clothes that Mumbo Jumbo had made. Starfire seemed quite happy and free, while Robin and Beast Boy were screaming at Cyborg and doing their best to cover their… private areas… that could be seen through the plastic of the balloons. Raven actually let out a laugh that wanted to get out of control, but she subdued herself. She couldn't show _that_ much emotion.

"Jerk," said Beast Boy, crossing his arms. "You know, we never did find our uniforms."

"Is that why you have new ones?" asked Raven, trying to hold back her giggles.

"No, we have our growing spurts to thank for that," said Robin. "This was still before our new suits."

She continued to look through the scrap book, happy to hear any stories they would tell her. This really astonished her teammates. Raven had never been a people person and would always choose to be alone in her room rather than hang out with them. But slowly an hour passed and she wanted them to continue to regale her with tales of the past years.

Finally, three hours later, the scrap book was closed after she had gone through every single page. "This is really wonderful, Starfire," she said smiling. "I'll make sure to look through it again."

"I am so very glad you like it," said Starfire.

"She worked really hard on that thing," said Cyborg. "Really, she took pictures and notes every day to put in it."

"I can't believe you went through all of that trouble," said Raven.

"Oh, it was not of the trouble," said Starfire. "I knew that if I worked on the book of scrap every day I would not forget about you."

"Not that we could forget about you anyway," Beast Boy added.

Raven smiled and stood up, the heavy book in her arms. "Well, I think I'll go to bed," she said. "This has been a very exhausting day. I'll see you all tomorrow."

"Have a goodnight's sleep," said Starfire sweetly.

"Yeah, goodnight," said Robin.

"Don't let the bedbugs bite," Beast Boy added.

"And if they do, it's probably BB, so just squash him," said Cyborg.

"Hey!" said Beast Boy.

"Goodnight everyone," said Raven, shaking her head and suppressing more chuckles.

She made it to her room and placed the book on her bureau. She then slipped her cloak off and felt the weight of the cloth lift off of her shoulders. It always felt good to take that bloody thing off. She grabbed her hair brush and began to brush her now long hair. She was glad that it was silky smooth and straight, unlike when she had Starfire's hair when they switched bodies. She had always thought that if she grew her hair out it would be unmanageable. It was actually quite easy to tame. She put it in a long braid, to keep it from tangling in her sleep, and went to bed. It felt so good to be home.

"Okay, how different is she?" asked Cyborg as soon as Raven left.

"Yes, she is quite changed from when we last saw her," said Starfire.

"At least it's for the better," said Robin. "I mean, I've never seen her so happy before. She's definitely different."

"She's actually not all that different," said Beast Boy. "We were talking and she easily slipped in a sarcastic remark here and there. But, she's definitely happier."

"There is something I am confused about," said Starfire. "What is a baptism and what is an exorcism?"

"You don't know?" asked Robin. Starfire shook her head innocently.

"You can look it up online," said Cyborg.

"Or Robin can tell you everything you'll need to know," said Beast Boy.

"Oh, I would rather Robin tell me," said Starfire with a smile.

"Okay, have fun," said Beast Boy and he quickly got out of there before Robin could glare at him. He walked down the hall to his room with his hands in his pockets, whistling. As he passed Ravens room he smiled. He was so happy she was home. Right at that very moment she was right on the other side of that door. Just knowing she was in the tower made him feel safer.

He would never tell her or anyone else that she was the only person he felt that could keep him safe. Sure, Robin was the leader and all, but he got too obsessed with the missions and his priorities were definitely out of whack sometimes. Starfire was a little too spacey to rely on, that was for sure. And Cyborg, as strong as he was, wasn't exactly a cushiony surface to land on if he was knocked out of the sky. Raven had the power to keep him safe and the mind to keep focused. She was always aware of her surroundings, something few people, and that included superheroes, have.

He took his belt off, which he did still have, since it was very uncomfortable sleep in and climbed up to his top bunk. He didn't care that he still had bunk beds, he liked to sleep elevated off of the ground and a bunk bed was much better than a hammock or something. It never occurred to him that he could get a bed specially made. But, this was Beast Boy, and he didn't like change. Well… most of the time.


	4. Things Do Change

**AN: Nope, no ownership yet… deal with it**

**Things Do Change**

Dr. Light chuckled to himself as he exited the bank. The lights inside were burning so brightly that no one could see anything, so they lay on the ground with their hands over their eyes. He swung his large bag full of money of his shoulder and proceeded to leave. He took one step and then saw the five Titans. Wait a second, five?

"Sorry, Dr. Light, but I'm going to have to ask you to return the money and come quietly," said Robin in his deep, authority filled voice.

Dr. Light opened his mouth to say something, but instead turned and made a run for it.

"Titans go!" Robin commanded.

"Hold on," said Raven. "I'll take care of this."

The other three members of the group instinctively looked to Robin. "Okay, it's your mission," said Robin, handing all the responsibility onto Raven. She smiled and flew off after the reoccurring villain.

Dr. Light thought he was in the clear. He had gotten pretty far and he still hadn't been attacked. He looked behind him and saw the four Titans standing there, watching him. Wait, four? He turned back and saw a white clad figure in front of him. He came to a stop and stared at her.

"You?" he said. "I thought I'd gotten rid of you!"

"Now why would my leaving have had anything to do with you?" asked Raven with a smirk.

"Well, uh, you know," said Dr. Light. "Because we're arch nemeses."

"Sorry, but I didn't leave because of you," said Raven.

"Oh, I guess I owe Mumbo an apology… and ten dollars," he said, thinking for a moment. Then he shook his thoughts away and realized that he was still trying to make a getaway. "Well, this reunion has been fun, but I really must be going."

"Again, I'm sorry, but I can't allow you to do that," said Raven.

"Then I shall make you!" said Dr. Light and he shot a blast of light at her.

Raven easily avoided the blast of light. She then closed her eyes, her hands pressed together in front of her. She opened them and they were completely white. "Azarath metrion zinthos," she said calmly. A wave of white energy spread from her hands and enveloped Dr. Light. He gave a short scream as he was being covered, but as soon as he was completely within the light became quiet.

The other four Titans watched all of this, quite confused and shocked. They ran over to the two to see what had happened. The light faded away and Dr. Light sat on the ground, looking quite… relaxed.

"So… so beautiful," he said with a dazed grin. "So bright… so wonderful."

"I think you can place him under arrest now," said Raven.

"Uh, what did you do?" asked Robin as he put the cuffs on Dr. Light.

"He's always asking me to see the light," said Raven. "So I gave him a dose of his own medicine. I showed him the purest light to be created."

"Is he… alright?" asked Starfire.

"Yes, he's just in a sort of shock," said Raven. "He'll be fine in a few minutes."

"Man, Raven, that was awesome," said Cyborg, patting her on the back.

"So, you're magic is like white now?" asked Beast Boy.

"Yeah, do you like it?" asked Raven with a smirk.

"Uh, yeah," said Beast Boy. "It's much better than that dark stuff."

"It was so perfectly beautiful," Dr. Light rambled on.

"Alright, let's go," said Robin, helping the dazed villain to his feet so he could walk him to jail. "You guys heading home or staying out?"

"I was going to stay out for a little while," said Raven. "I wanted to get a cup of tea at my old café."

"Uh, it wasn't that café that was at the corner of Main and Third, was it?" asked Beast Boy.

"Yes, it was," said Raven, her brow furrowing.

"Oh, they kinda moved it," said Beast Boy.

"They did?" asked Raven.

"Yeah, there's an insurance company there now," said Cyborg.

"They replaced my café with an insurance company?" said Raven. "Who thought of doing that?"

"I would believe it was the owners," said Starfire.

Raven sighed and said, "Well that sucks."

"Don't worry, I know where they moved it," said Beast Boy. "I'll walk you over there."

"Really? Thank you so much," said Raven, smiling again. "I really need a cup of tea."

"Sure, no problem," said Beast Boy with a smile.

"Well, I'm headin back home," said Cyborg. "I've got some work to do on the T-car."

"You just did work on the T-car," said Robin.

"So?" asked Cyborg.

"Anyway, what are you going to do, Star?" asked Robin.

"I shall go with you," said Starfire, flying over to him.

"Alright, see you guys later," said Robin walking Dr. Light off with Starfire next to him. Cyborg jumped into the T-car and drove his baby home. Now Beast Boy and Raven were alone.

"Well, which way is it?" asked Raven.

"This way," said Beast Boy, pointing and walking.

The two walked side by side as they made their way to Ravens café. It was a little odd, since Beast Boy was now taller than her. Once in a while he was glace over and see that he could see over her head.

"Did anything else change in the city while I was gone?" asked Raven.

"Just a few small things here and there," said Beast Boy. "You can't expect things to stay the same for five years, especially not in a city."

"That's why I asked if anything changed," said Raven. "I know things never stay the same."

After a few minutes of walking they came upon the café. Loud music was blasting out of it and there was a shady looking characters within it.

"This is my café?" asked Raven, shocked.

"Yup," Beast Boy sighed.

"What have they done to it?" she asked, upset.

"Turned it into a punk hangout," said Beast Boy. "Sorry, I know I should've told you, but I thought it'd be better if you saw for yourself."

Raven was quite upset by this and she hung her head. "Now where am I going to get my tea?" she asked, sadly. "Where am I going to go to read? This was my little place to get away from everything."

"Sorry," said Beast Boy, unsure of what he should say. "You wanna go look for someplace to get some tea?"

"I suppose," Raven sighed.

"Come on, I think I know of a good place," he said with a kind smile.

He took her down the block to a very 'natural' looking place. She knew just by the site of the people inside it was a vegetarian hangout. This was not what she had in mind. Of course, she had nothing against vegetarians. She just detested how preachy they got.

"You know, I think I'll just go back to the tower," said Raven, turning to leave.

"Come on, don't you trust me?" he asked with a smile.

"No more than usual," said Raven.

Beast Boy rolled his eyes and grabbed her hand. "I promise, I'll fend off any loud mouth vegans," he said as he dragged her towards the restaurant.

"And who's going to fend me off from you mister 'king of the loud mouths'?" she asked with a smirk.

"Har har," he said sarcastically.

The moment she stepped through the doors she could feel all eyes falling on her. They were all curious as to why this outsider who was far too curvy to be vegetarian had entered their domain.

"Hey guys," said Beast Boy with a smile as he led her in.

"Hello Beast Boy," said a young woman behind the counter. She had long, blond hair that reached her behind and she wore what looked like a homemade dress she was rather proud of. "Who is your friend?"

"Oh, this is Raven," said Beast Boy. "You know, she left the team five years ago."

"Oh yes," she said after staring blankly at Raven for a moment. "I remember now. Tell me, is she a child of nature as well?"

"Uh, not exactly," Beast Boy chuckled. "Her café's been totally taken over by punk rockers so she's gonna hang out here today."

"Well, you're table is vacant," she said with a smile and pointed to the table near the window.

"Awesome, I'll be right back to order something," he said and led Raven over to the table.

"Child of nature?" asked Raven, cocking an eyebrow.

"That's what she calls people who put nature above technology," said Beast Boy.

"And she calls you one?" asked Raven, suppressing a laugh.

"Well duh! I'm the entire animal kingdom in one cute package," he said with a smirk.

"You obviously haven't told her about your infatuation with videogames," said Raven. "And you're not cute."

Beast Boy's smirk faded and his ears drooped. "Gee, thanks," he said. "The menu's up there."

Raven looked up and over at the wall. She saw a large sign that said everything was organic. This was certainly not her crowd. She could still feel eyes upon her and it made her feel uncomfortable.

"Just get me what you think is good," said Raven.

"Are you sure?" asked Beast Boy.

"Sure," said Raven, shrugging. "What's the worst that could happen?"

"Alright," said Beast Boy and he headed back over to the counter.

While Beast Boy was placing his orders Raven decided to get a little more comfortable. She knew that if she looked like she was comfortable the others within the restaurant would feel comfortable too. She slowly took her hood down and pulled her long hair out from within her cloak.

"Hi!" said a young woman from out of nowhere, causing Raven to jump. And she wasn't alone. She had another young woman and a young man with her. They took a seat at Ravens table and the one who spoke sat next to Raven. "I'm Holly."

"I'm Amber," said the other girl.

"I'm Derek," said the young man.

"Hello," said Raven, shocked by their intrusion into her personal space. "I'm Raven."

"Raven, that's such a wonderful name," said Amber.

"Definitely natural," said Derek, nodding.

"Can I help you?" asked Raven.

"We just saw you enter and we felt we needed to talk to you," said Holly.

"Why?" asked Raven.

"You're hair," sighed Amber.

"Excuse me?" asked Raven.

"Do you know how many chemicals are in your hair right now?" asked Derek. "Especially to get that shiny, realistic quality?"

"Really, if you're going to come here, you must respect what nature gave you," scolded Holly. "And you must not use anything with chemicals."

"I don't die my hair, if that's what you're insinuating," said Raven. "This is my natural hair color."

"It is?" asked all three.

"Yes," said Raven, nodding.

"Oh, it is like the color of violets!" said Holly, taking a lock of Ravens hair and playing with it.

Raven looked to the counter where Beast Boy was still standing. She wished that he would come back and save her from these three, but she saw that he was busy… flirting with the girl behind the counter.


	5. Wait, Who's Apologizing to Who?

**AN: Nope, no ownership yet… deal with it**

**Wait, Who's Apologizing to Who?**

They knew they couldn't trust Beast Boy. Less than twenty-four hours since she returned home all pleasant and happy he'd put her in a bad mood again. Unfortunately, the cause of her now bad mood had put the rest of the tower in a good mood.

The three who had confronted Raven didn't leave her alone the entire time they were at the restaurant. They had begun preaching and examining Raven from head to toe. Before she knew what was happening Holly and Amber began braiding Ravens hair and weaving beautiful flowers into it. Derek had attempted to convert her to becoming a vegan. And then all three began drawing on Ravens white cape. They drew flowers and messages of peace. She couldn't believe this was happening to her.

And Beast Boy had basically abandoned her to flirt with the girl behind the counter, which she learned he did every time he went. He took so long she decided to just go back home where she could be protected from these naturalists.

As she walked into the tower all eyes fell on her. They couldn't think of what to say. She was quite a sight to see. Then, all at once, all three began laughing.

"What happened to you?" laughed Cyborg.

"I was attacked by the children of nature," said Raven through her teeth.

"Oh, Raven, your hair is most… unique!" said Starfire, giggling.

"I'm guessing Beast Boy took you to his hangout," Robin chuckled.

"What was your first clue?" glared Raven. "If anyone needs me I'll be in my room trying to get these stains out of my cloak." And with that she stormed out of the common room.

Beast Boy arrived a few minutes later. "Hey, is Raven here?" he asked out of breath.

"Yeah, she just went to her room," said Cyborg, trying to stop chuckling.

"Thank God!" said Beast Boy, looking very relieved. "I left for like two minutes and she took off."

"Oh, yeah, I'm sure that's what happened," said Robin.

"I would leave her alone," said Starfire. "She is quite upset."

"She's upset?" he fumed. "She disappeared on me! I mean, I need an explanation." He then ran off to talk to Raven. He got to her door and rapped his knuckles against it. "Raven, you in there?"

"Go away," she said.

"Hey, what was with you leaving me back there?" he asked. "You scared me to death!"

"I'm sorry, but a two hour wait for your food? I'd rather get take out," said Raven.

"Two hours?" said Beast Boy. "It wasn't two hours. It was like maybe ten minutes tops."

"Oh," said Raven, sliding her door open. "And I suppose this all happened in ten minutes?" She held up her drawn on cloak, that she had taken off, in front of him. "And what about this?" she said, holding up a clump of flowered braids.

"Oh my God!" said Beast Boy, trying not to laugh. "What happened to you?"

"Holly, Amber, and Derek," said Raven, turning and going back into her room, leaving the door open for him.

"Oh no," Beast Boy laughed. "Not them!"

"Yes, them," Raven growled. "While you were flirting with that girl they snuck up on me and tried to convert me!"

"I wasn't flirting!" said Beast Boy, his cheeks blushing.

"Two hours!" said Raven. "You were chatting with her for two hours!"

"Awe, you're not jealous, are you?" he asked, leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed.

Raven straightened right up after he said this. She turned to him with a very serious expression. "No, I'm not jealous," she said, dropping the cloak to the floor and walking over to him. "I'm just pissed because you abandoned me in a place I was not familiar with at all. All I wanted was a cup of tea. Was that so much to ask for? Instead I get forgotten about, preached to, and violated! And I can't believe that you couldn't hold off one day of flittering for me, your friend. And how dare you think that I'm upset because I'm jealous. That is such an ignorant, egotistical thing to think!"

While Raven was ranting and raving Beast Boy couldn't help looking at Ravens uncloaked body. He had rarely ever seen her out of her cloak before she had left, and here she was standing right before him in just her leotard. Her hourglass figure stood out in the white material. Truly, he had never seen her figure before. Finally, he snapped out of it.

"Well, I'm sorry," said Beast Boy. "I was… distracted."

"Whatever," Raven sighed. "Look, just leave me alone, alright? I've got a lot of work to do."

"Alright," he sighed. "But, again, sorry."

"Just go," she said, sitting down on her bed and attempting to undo her hair. As soon as he was out of her doorway her door slide shut and locked. She was very upset. Not exactly with Beast Boy, but with herself. She had promised herself that she would no longer grow angry or upset. But she had already broken that promise.

Hours passed and Beast Boy sat in his room listening to music and throwing a ball at his wall and letting it bounce back to him. He couldn't get the image of Raven out of his mind. Five years ago, she was a teammate and a kinda sorta friend. It never occurred to him to look at her any other way. Now, when he saw her, he realized something. She was… attractive. Not just that he realized she was… hot! That very thought freaked him right out.

A round of knocks could be heard above his loud music. He quickly jumped up, turned his stereo down, and went to the door. He slid it open and found Raven.

"Oh," he said, a little surprised to see her there. "Hi."

"Hi," said Raven, looking uncomfortable. "I just wanted to say that I'm sorry for the way I acted." This made Beast Boy cock an eyebrow. "I shouldn't have gotten mad at you. I mean, it wasn't your fault those three 'children of nature' came after me. And I'm sorry I called attention to your flirting with that girl. I'm sure that must have been embarrassing. So, again, sorry."

"Are you kidding me?" he asked, looking around as if he was being pranked. "I act like a jerk and _you're_ apologizing?"

"You didn't act like a jerk," said Raven. "Please, just accept my apology."

"Raven, you don't have anything to apologize for," said Beast Boy.

"Yes, I do," Raven sighed. "When I realized that I could show more of my emotions, I promised myself that I wouldn't get angry anymore, that I wouldn't be so spiteful. And I've already failed. So, please, accept my apology. I let myself down and I hurt you in the process."

Beast Boy stared at her. "You're… you're really serious?" he asked.

"Unfortunately, yes," said Raven. "I hate being so serious all of the time."

"Well, I guess I accept your apology," said Beast Boy. "But, I really think you should know that you had every reason to be mad. I know I shouldn't have just left you alone to flirt with that girl. I mean, sure, I've liked her for a while now, but I flirt with her like every other day. I haven't seen you in five years. I definitely should have put flirting aside for the day."

"I know why you didn't, though," said Raven. "You were afraid that if you didn't flirt with her and she saw you with me, another woman, she would think you didn't like her anymore. I completely understand."

Beast Boy stared at her for a moment. "You know, you scare me you're so smart," said Beast Boy.

"I'm not smart, I just feel things," said Raven, holding her arm awkwardly. "You radiate many emotions and feelings, Beast Boy. I can't help but put two and two together."

Beast Boy couldn't believe what was going on. He left his friend high and dry and they were apologizing? Not only that, but Raven felt like she had done something wrong. And she looked like she really was upset with herself.

"Raven," he said, stepping forward and taking her hands. "I don't know what's going on, which is kinda normal for me, but I think you should now that feeling anger is natural. It's an emotion, so you should express it like the others. So, please, don't think that you did something wrong. Don't forget, you're still new at that whole feeling more thing. And, if you're not going to feel an emotion, don't feel sad. Okay?"

Raven looked up at him and said, "Okay."

"Good," said Beast Boy and he wrapped his arms around her. Raven accepted the hug and embraced him strongly. Beast Boy was quite shocked by this, so he hugged her tighter.

"You're a good friend, Beast Boy," she said.

"I do my best," said Beast Boy. Then he thought. "Actually, I guess I do what's convenient. I have to work on that."

They released and Raven gave him a small smile. "Well, I'm going to finally get some tea," she said.

"I don't know if we have any," said Beast Boy.

"Then I'll go out and by some," said Raven. "You know I can't live without my tea."

"Well, have fun then," said Beast Boy.

"I will," she said and walked back down the hall.

Beast Boy closed his door and relished in the fact that he could still slightly feel her where she'd hugged him. This was a very odd feeling overcoming him. He was feeling much better now. Raven wasn't mad, she wasn't blaming herself, and she was going to get her tea. He just had to remember to be a better friend. She deserved it. And he had to go and almost ruining everything by flirting with that girl.

Raven went out and bought herself a good selection of tea. She came home and happily made herself a cup. She smiled to herself as she sipped that first hot sip and let out a pleasurable sigh.

"Raven, why did you take the flowers out of your hair?" asked Starfire.

"Because you laughed at them," said Raven. "And I've never been a flower child."

"Oh, I am sorry I laughed," said Starfire. "Truly, I liked your hair as it was."

"Well, I certainly didn't," said Raven, shuddering as she remembered the knots she had to pull loose from her hair.

"Are you still mad at Beast Boy?" asked Robin.

"No," said Raven, slightly smiling. "We talked things over."

"Good," said Cyborg. "Cuz I was kinda hopin you two would stop bickerin."

"Hopefully we're done," said Raven. "But, I wouldn't count out the occasional fight."

"Occasional I can take," said Cyborg. "Four times a day I can't."

"I'll do my best," said Raven, smiling.

"How'd you get your cloak clean?" asked Robin.

"Bleach," Raven sighed.

"Well, you sure had one hell of a first day back," Cyborg chuckled.

"I really shouldn't have been surprised," said Raven, sipping her tea again.

"Welcome back, Raven," said Robin with a smile.


	6. A Call from Gotham

**AN: Nope, no ownership yet… deal with it**

**A Call from Gotham**

Cyborg and Beast Boy sat on the couch, battling it out through their videogames. Their eyes were glued to the screen and nothing could sway their concentration. Raven sat on the far end of the couch with her book resting on her lap as she slowly read it. She had a soft smile on her face, which was now her norm. Before, it had been a frown. Now it was a smile. She looked much better this way.

"Raven, Cyborg, Beast Boy!" Robin called. "Could one of you help us?"

"Help you with what?" asked Cyborg, his concentration never breaking.

"Silkie has done the devouring of my bed and we must get it out of him!" cried Starfire.

"He's only got it half down," Robin quickly called. "Really, we could use help right now."

"I'll do it," Raven sighed, closing her book and placing it down where she was once sitting.

Beast Boy's eyes were on the large screen of the television then they slowly began to move as if he didn't have control of them. They subtly went right over to the exiting Raven. He watched as her white cape flowed behind her as she walked and hid her perfect figure. He quickly snapped back to the game and shook his head, trying to get rid of these thoughts and the images of Raven.

She had been back for a month now and things were finally getting back to normal. Raven found herself a nice routine, though she had yet to find a new café. Her strengthened powers helped the team to win even quicker than usual and villains were now flocking out of the city. Yes, they were very glad to have Raven back.

And Beast Boy had found that lately he couldn't help but watch her as she went about her business. Every move she made seemed graceful and full of a love for life. She smiled at him now and then, like when they were passing in the hall or when he said hello. And that safe feeling he had been longing for had filled him completely. But, there was something else about her now that made him feel good. He just wasn't sure what it was yet.

"Ha! Beat ya!" said Cybrog triumphantly.

"Dude, quit it!" said Beast Boy. "Can't I ever win?"

"Only when you're playing yourself," Cyborg snickered.

"Well, I'm done," said Beast Boy, throwing his controller down.

"Yeah, me too," said Cyborg, standing up to put the gaming system away. He turned it off and the screen was suddenly filled with the face of Batman.

"I think you two are too old for videogames," he said in a dry manner.

Cyborg and Beast Boy gave a scream and jumped in shock. Batman never contacted them, ever.

"Oh, uh, hi," said Cyborg.

"Hello," Batman said plainly. "Where's your leader?"

"Robin? He's trying to pull a bed out of a mutant larva," said Beast Boy like it was nothing out of the ordinary.

"Great," said Batman sarcastically. "Get him for me."

"Uh, sure," said Cyborg. He turned around cupped his hands around his mouth. "Yo, Robin, you got company!"

Batman silently shook his head at this juvenile bunch. A few seconds later Robin entered the common room with Raven and Starfire behind him, Silkie safely tucked in Starfire's arms. The moment Robin saw that it was Batman he tensed up.

"Oh, it's you," he said and walked over to the screen. "What?"

"You need to come to Gotham," said Batman.

"And why's that?" asked Robin, crossing his arms. The tension between the two was thick enough to choke on.

"I have some new equipment for your belt," said Batman.

"And since when do you give me anything?" asked Robin.

"Look, would you just accept my generosity?" said Batman.

"I don't need your charity," said Robin. "Thanks anyway.

Suddenly the screen split in two and Alfred's face came on the screen. "Master Dick, I believe you should come home," he said, causing Cyborg and Beast Boy to bite their tongues and try not to laugh. "This equipment shall help you in keeping the city safe."

"The city is fine," said Robin.

"I don't need your help to get him to come here, Alfred," said Batman. "If he wants to be stubborn then let him be."

"I'm not being stubborn," said Robin through his teeth.

"Please, let us all calm down," said Starfire, only referring to Robin and Batman. "Robin, perhaps we should at least go see what this new equipment is."

"I would listen to the young lady," said Alfred.

Robin looked back and fourth between Batman, Alfred, and Starfire. He groaned and said, "Fine, I'll take a look."

"Good," said Batman.

"I'll prepare your room, sir," said Alfred with an inward smile.

"Oh, may I come too?" asked Starfire. "I have always wanted to visit Gotham."

"Yeah, I wanna go too," said Cyborg. "I haven't been to Gotham in years."

"And I wanna meet Batman," said Beast Boy.

"I've already met you, Beast Boy," said Batman.

"I mean, in person," said Beast Boy.

"Would you mind if I brought my team?" asked Robin, not really asking as much telling.

"I shall prepare the appropriate rooms," said Alfred and with that he left so that Batman was the only one on the screen.

"I _have_ wanted to meet your team for a while now," said Batman.

"I'll take that as a yes, I guess," said Robin.

"Will Jump City be safe without you?" asked Batman.

"Of course it will," said Robin. "I'll see you in a few hours." And with that Robin turned the screen off. It was apparent he was quite upset about his mentor's sudden call.

"So, uh, I guess we should go pack," said Beast Boy, wanting to get out of there. He quickly turned and made a dash for the door, with Raven right behind him.

"I'll get the T-ship ready," said Cyborg running off.

This left Robin and Starfire alone. She placed a hand on his shoulder, trying to comfort him. "Please, are you… okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, Star, I'm fine," he said, though his voice suggested otherwise.

"You do not sound fine," said Starfire. "Why does the talking to Batman bother you so?"

"It's not talking to Batman that bothers me," said Robin. "It's Batman himself. I can just never be good enough for him. He always thinks he's better than me and that I have room for improvement. That's why I went solo all those years ago. I just couldn't stand it anymore."

"I am sorry you feel that way," said Starfire. "But, he was like your father, correct?"

"He's not my father," said Robin.

"I did not say he was," said Starfire. "I said that he was like a father. He took you in and gave you a home and he made you into the person you are today."

"And is that a good thing?" asked Robin.

Starfire wrapped her arms around Robin and said softly, "It is a very good thing."

Robin hugged her back and felt comforted. He felt like she was the only one he could let his guard down around. She loved him, even if he could get obsessed with his work. She saw passed that and saw the good guy he was underneath. And he loved her for that.

Beast Boy looked through the mess that was his room and grabbed his cleanest uniforms, since he didn't want to make a bad impression with Batman. He saw how he spoke to Robin, and he was practically his son! But, he could sympathize with Robin. Mento was just like Batman with him. Always telling him to grow up and be better. Pushing him too hard too young. Yeah, Beast Boy could definitely see why Robin would have a problem with Batman.

"Are you really going to bring those dirty uniforms?" asked Raven.

He turned and saw her standing in his doorway. "Well, they're the only ones I've got," he said.

"Why don't you ever do your laundry?" she asked.

"Too lazy, I guess," said Beast Boy.

Raven rolled her eyes and said, "I'll do your laundry for you if you gather it up from now on. I'll even buy you a hamper."

"You'd really do that for me?" he laughed, but was serious.

"Hey, I don't exactly appreciate sitting next to someone in a smelly uniform," said Raven. "I'll be doing me a favor by doing your laundry."

"Uh, okay then," said Beast Boy. "But, you don't have to buy me a hamper. I've got one… somewhere."

"Well find it and start putting it to good use," said Raven.

"That'll have to wait until we get back," said Beast Boy with a smile as he zipped his bag up. "Ready?"

"Of course," said Raven, holding up her own bag.

The two headed to the garage and found Cyborg doing a last minute check up. It was going to be a four hour flight to Gotham, so he had to make sure everything was working correctly. Beast Boy loaded his bag into the trunk, then grabbed Ravens and threw hers in as well. Robin and Starfire arrived a few minutes later and threw their bags in too.

"Alright, y'all, we ready to go?" asked Cyborg excitedly.

"In a manner of speaking," said Robin, who was still not all that pleased about going back to Gotham.

"Yes, let us go," said Starfire with a smile.

They all climbed into their appropriate seats and buckled up. Within a few minutes they took off and were on their way to Gotham. Cyborg was driving so he had to keep his attention on the sky. Robin was still brooding so he sat with his arms crossed, thinking. Starfire loved to watch the sites go by, so she was glued to the window. Beast Boy whipped out his laptop that had a DVD player and popped a movie in. Raven took out her book and began to read from where she left off.

"When there's trouble you know what to do," Cyborg sang. "Call Cyborg! He can shoot a rocket from his shoe. Cuz he's Cyborg!"

The four other Titans quickly shut off their headphones as Cyborg continued to sing. Cyborg was just one of those guys who had to sing every time he got in a car or, in this case, T-ship. Once he was sure that they weren't listening any longer her sang even louder and with more of a passion.

"Dude, I can hear him from here!" said Beast Boy, who turned on his connection to Raven.

"He's not that bad," said Raven.

"No, he's just loud," said Beast Boy.

"You know, this would be a good time to get some blackmail on him," said Raven casually turning the page of her book.

"How's that?" asked Beast Boy.

"By simply plugging your laptop into the audio of the T-ship, you can record him and save it for… a rainy day, as it were," said Raven.

"Dude!" said Beast Boy. "You're a genius!" He quickly plugged his laptop into the T-ship and began to record Cyborg.

"Well this genius doesn't like to be referred to as a dude," said Raven.

"Sorry," said Beast Boy. "I just got excited."

"Well, if you get in trouble I didn't give you the idea," said Raven.

"Gotcha, all the credit goes to me," he said with a smile.

Raven smiled back and then looked to her book once more. Beast Boy was really giddy now. He turned his own microphone off so the others wouldn't here his chuckling. He was going to have fun with this.


	7. A Day in Gotham

**AN: Nope, no ownership yet… deal with it**

**A Day in Gotham**

The view of Gotham was beautiful. It was autumn, so the trees were brilliant shades of orange, red, and brown. The T-ship slowly began to descend and land within the Wayne estate. Alfred was there, waiting. As soon as it was turned off the doors flew open and they each jumped out.

"Wow, that was a long ride," said Cyborg, stretching his robotic limbs as if they were stiff.

"It was not as long as when we went to Tokyo," said Starfire.

"Ow! My feet are asleep!" said Beast Boy as he began to walk around, which felt like he was walking on pins and needles.

"Shake it out," said Raven. Beast Boy began shaking his limbs and hoping the blood would start moving.

"Welcome back, Master Dick," said Alfred with a smile.

"It's nice to see you again, Alfred," said Robin with almost a smile. "Where is he?"

"Master Wayne is waiting for you and your friends inside," said Alfred, moving to the back of the T-ship. "I shall bring your luggage to your rooms."

"You don't hafta do that," said Cyborg, opening the trunk.

"Yeah, we can handle this," said Beast Boy, who could walk properly again.

"That may be, but I am here to help, Master Victor and Master Garfield," said Alfred with a kind smile.

"Maser? Dude, I like this place already," laughed Beast Boy.

"Hey, I want you on your best behavior," said Robin, pointing at him. "That goes for all of us."

"I am sure your friends shall be fine here," said Alfred, grabbing a few bags. "Now, shall we head inside?"

"Oh, yes, that sounds wonderful," said Starfire, slipping her arm into Robins. Alfred smiled and led them inside.

The shear size of the mansion had the four other Titans in awe. They couldn't believe Robin had spent part of his life growing up here. It was like walking into a museum and Beast Boy had to be told more than once that he should keep his hands to himself and not touch anything. He thought they were overreacting until he touched a large suit of armor that nearly fell over had he not caught it.

They were led to the study, where Batman was waiting, but he was out of his uniform. At first everyone but Robin weren't sure who this was. But, from the look on his face, they knew it had to be Batman.

"Long time no see, Dick," said Batman.

"I'm not going to apologize for not calling, Bruce," said Robin.

"I'm not asking you to," said Batman, dryly. He then looked at each of the team members up and down. "So this is your team."

Starfire stepped forward, put her hand out, and said, "Greetings, Batman, I am very pleased to meet you in person."

"As I you," said Batman, shaking her hand. "And you can call me Bruce if you wish."

"Then I shall," said Starfire, smiling. "And you may call me Koriand'r."

"If it's all the same, I think I'll stick with Starfire," said Batman. "It's easier to remember."

Cyborg gave Batman his hand next and said, "Nice to meet ya, name's Cyborg."

"But you can call him Master Victor," Beast Boy snickered.

"And you can call him a grass stain," said Cyborg, glaring at Beast Boy.

"I'll stick with Beast Boy," said Batman, not amused, as he shook Beast Boy's hand.

"You don't have to worry about my name," said Raven with a small smile as she shook his hand next. "It's just Raven."

"Glad to meet you," said Batman. "Now, do you want to come see the new equipment?"

"Sure," said Robin.

"The rest of you can take a look around if you'd like," said Batman.

"I wanna see our rooms," said Beast Boy. "In a place like this they've gotta be cool."

"Alfred will be right back and he can take you," said Batman as they all left the study. "Let's go." And with that he and Robin walked down one of the many corridors, leaving the four all alone in the large mansion.

"Shall I show you to your rooms then?" asked Alfred from out of nowhere.

"Uh, yeah," said Cyborg. "That'd be great."

Alfred smiled, turned around, and began to walk. The four quickly followed after him. Starfire couldn't help turning around once or twice to see Robin shrink in the distance and then disappear behind a door. She sighed and followed her friends up a large staircase.

"Young ladies, your rooms are on the right and young masters, yours are on the left," said Alfred.

They each went to their door and slowly opened them. None of them could believe the size of their room. They could all have easily shared one and still have had room to spare!

Cyborg whistled as he walked in and looked around. He saw that there was a generator set up for him to hook up to while he slept. There was also an entertainment system and an already set up videogame that was waiting to be played. Cyborg's eyes lit up and a smile grew from ear to ear. He quickly plopped down and started to play.

Starfire flew around her room and looked everything over. It appeared to by like any other earth bedroom, only a whole lot bigger. She then saw that the pillow of her bed was at the foot of it, just where she preferred. There was also a gift basket on the bed that was full of eight different types of mustard. She squealed with joy and quickly decided to taste each one.

Beast Boy let out an excited yell as he closed his door. He wasn't impressed by the size; he was impressed at how clean it was! He gave a laugh and leapt onto the bed. He stood up and began jumping up and down, which was something he couldn't do on his bunk beds. As he jumped he saw that there was a whole stack of sci-fi movies waiting for him. "Dude!" he cried out and jumped right off the bed to put one on.

Raven was impressed by the size of the room. She walked in and saw that everything was neat and clean, just how she liked a room. She was happy to see a nice gift basket made up of different herbal teas. Just the site of it made her feel more relaxed. She also saw a nice little stack of books tied up in a ribbon. She looked through them and saw that they were her favorite; fantasy. She chose one and decided to start reading. She sat down on her bed, which she found to be very comfortable, and opened the book.

A few minutes later someone knocked on her door. "Come in," she said, closing the book.

Beast Boy appeared, smiling. "Okay, how cool is this place?" he said walking over to her. "Boy, was Robin spoiled or what?"

"I somehow doubt Robin was treated like a guest," Raven chuckled. "I think he'd be a little less bitter towards Batman if he was."

"Well, anyway, the rest of us, minus Robin of course, are going into the city to look around," said Beast Boy. "You wanna come."

"I guess," said Raven, sliding off of her bed. "Maybe I can find a decent café in this city."

"One can only hope," said Beast Boy with a smile as the two exited the room.

They met Starfire and Cyborg in the hall and then were off. Alfred offered to drive them and Cyborg and Beast Boy couldn't pass up a chance to be chauffeured around. The girls, on the other hand, felt like they were taking advantage of Alfred. They weren't used to someone actually serving them.

"Where would you like to go?" asked Alfred as they drove around the city.

"Ooh, you got a good pizza joint around here?" asked Cyborg. "I'm starving!"

"I do know of a fine pizzeria," said Alfred.

Beast Boy leaned over to Raven and whispered, "Why don't you ask him to bring you to a café?"

"I'm sure I can find one on my own," said Raven. "Besides, I don't like having him driving us around as it is. I feel bad."

"It's his job," said Beast Boy. "You might as well save yourself the trouble and just ask him."

"Something the matter?" asked Alfred, looking in the review mirror at the conversing Titans.

"You wouldn't happen to know of a café or anything?" asked Beast Boy.

"Oh, I didn't know you were into cafés, Master Garfield," said Alfred.

"I'm not, but Raven is," said Beast Boy.

"I think I may know of a suitable place," said Alfred.

He drove them to the pizza restaurant and dropped off all but Raven. Then he took her over to a quaint little café that specialized in tea. Raven couldn't thank him enough and quickly made her way inside.

There was soft music playing and everyone was quiet and reading or chatting softly. Now this was her sort of place. She ordered a cup of tea and sat down at a little table outside. She slowly sopped her tea and people watched; something she loved to do. And these were different people; Gotham people. She found it funny that even though they were on the other side of the country people seemed to act the same in any city.

It was a sunny day so she took her hood off so she could feel its warmth. She took her long hair out of her cloak and let it fall behind her. She was pretty sure that no hippies would attack her here. Her hair and cloak were safe. She felt quite happy and hoped the others were having as good a time as she was. And she really hoped Robin wasn't going to yell or do anything he'd regret in front of Batman.

She had just finished her second cup when she saw her three friends walking her way. She waved to them and they walked over. "How was the pizza?" she asked.

"The best ever!" said Cyborg. "Man, that Alfred has good taste."

"Yeah, we totally gotta get our own Alfred," said Beast Boy.

"I believe there is only one Alfred," said Starfire.

"How's your tea?" asked Beast Boy.

"Wonderful," said Raven with a smile as she stood up. "I really wish there was a place like this back home. It's just like my old café."

"Come on, we saw this cool arcade place a block back," said Cyborg. "And we told Alfred to pick us up there in an hour."

"An hour in arcade?" said Raven. "And what am _I_ going to do?"

"You can play the pinball or the whacking of the mole or the dance dance revolution or the…" Starfire went on and on.

"Starfire, I was being sarcastic," said Raven, stopping her before she could go on.

"Don't worry, Raven," said Beast Boy, putting his arm around her. "I'll find something for you to do."

"I'm sure you will," said Raven, smirking and rolling her eyes.

As the four walked a man with graying hair passed them by. He stopped in his tracks and turned around, his eyes wide. "Angela?" he asked loudly. The group, and more importantly the woman he had just seen, didn't seem to hear him. He quickly walked over to them and said, "Excuse me?"

The four stopped and turned to him. "May we help you?" asked Starfire.

His eyes went wide and he stared at Raven. "Angela, is that you?"

"I'm sorry?" said Raven.

He looked at her again then sighed. "No, I guess you're not," he said. "I'm sorry, I thought you were someone… I used to know."

"You used to know someone who looked like Raven?" asked Cyborg, shocked. "Really?"

"And what's that supposed to mean?" asked Raven, offended.

"It doesn't matter," said the man. "You're far too young to be her anyway. She must be near forty now."

"Please, who do you speak of?" asked Starfire.

"My daughter, Angela," said the man. "She ran away when she was seventeen and seems to have disappeared off of the face of the Earth."

Raven wasn't sure why, but that name sounded familiar to her. Who did she know who's name was Angela? She had heard it somewhere within her life.

"Did you file a report with the police?" asked Beast Boy.

"Yes, but the case was dropped," he said. "Besides, we believe that if God wills it, she will come home."

'Angela… Angela…' Raven thought. 'Why does that ring a bell? I don't know many people as it is, so why would I know someone who's name is…' And then it hit her. Her eyes went wide with shock. "My mother…"


	8. A Lost Relative Found

**AN: Nope, no ownership yet… deal with it**

**A Lost Relative Found?**

"Huh?" said Beast Boy, who seemed to be the only one to hear Raven.

"My… my mother's name was Angela," said Raven. "What's your last name?"

"Roth," said the man. "My daughter's name was Angela Roth."

Raven couldn't believe this. "My mother's name was Angela Roth," she said.

"But, Raven, did you not tell me that your mother's name was Arella?" asked Starfire.

"She was given the name Arella when she was taken to Azarath," said Raven. "Her real name was Angela Roth."

"Then…" said the old man. "You are my granddaughter?"

Raven was silent with shock. "I… I might be," she said at last.

The old man reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. He flipped it open and said, "This was the last picture we had of her."

Raven took the wallet and looked at the picture, as did her friends. They couldn't believe the resemblance between her and Raven. And Raven couldn't believe what she was seeing. That was her mother. This man was her mother's father.

"That's her," she said, blankly giving him the wallet back. "That's my mother."

The man tucked his wallet back in his pocket and then reached out and wrapped his arms around Raven. Raven was still in shock, but she was even more startled by this act. And it was just enough to push her over her emotional limit and a window in a store next to them shattered. The man let go, out of surprise, and stared at her.

"Uh, Raven, can we take to you for a second?" said Cyborg. She was still in too much shock to move on her own, so he grabbed her and moved her and the others a few feet away from the man. "Do you really think this man is your grandfather?"

"I… I don't know," said Raven.

"What if he is a villain in disguise?" asked Starfire, voicing their worst fears.

"Or a crazy fan who's trying to trick you into thinking you're his granddaughter?" asked Beast Boy.

"I think there's only one thing we can do," said Cyborg. "Blood test. That'll confirm if you're really related to him or not." Raven was silent, a blank look on her face. "Raven?"

"Huh?" she asked.

"Are you alright with getting a blood test done to see if you and that man are related?" asked Cyborg.

"I guess," said Raven. The group went back over to the old man, who was actually looking happy.

"Sir, would you mind if we did a blood test on you?" asked Cyborg. "Just to make sure you and Raven are related."

"Of course not," he said with a smile. "And I'm sorry if I haven't introduced myself." He stuck out his hand to Raven. "My name's Peter Roth. And, from what I just heard, your name is Raven Roth."

"It's just Raven, sir," said Raven. "I mean, Peter, I mean, Mr. Roth."

"You can call me grandfather," said Peter.

"Not yet," said Beast Boy who was suddenly feeling a little protective of Raven. "Let's get the tests done first."

"Of course, excuse me," he said. "I'm just so excited to have found some connection to my daughter."

"Well, give us your phone number and we'll contact you," said Cyborg.

He gave them his phone number and then they parted ways. Raven still had that shell shocked look on her face. None of her friends knew what to do. When they reached the arcade she took a seat at a racecar game and just sat in the seat in silence. Beast Boy made sure to take the seat next to her and he kept playing the game over and over, just so no one else could be there to bother her.

When Alfred arrived they told him what had happened. He certainly was surprised, of course he didn't show it that much. The whole ride home was pretty quiet. Once they arrived back at the mansion Raven went straight to her room to think.

"Wait a second, what happened?" asked Robin. Everyone, excluding Raven, was meeting in the study once again.

"We have found Ravens grandfather," said Starfire.

"Whoa, we don't even know if he really is her relative or not," said Beast Boy.

"Beast Boy's right," said Batman. "We have to check this man out."

"We got his phone number if that helps," said Cyborg.

"You didn't give him the phone number to the mansion did you?" asked Batman.

"Of course not," said Cyborg. "Wouldn't want to blow your cover."

Batman did not seem amused. "Let's go to the Bat Cave, we should be able to find out everything about this man with my equipment down there," he said.

"What about Raven?" asked Starfire. "She seems to be in distress."

"I'll go check on her," Beast Boy volunteered. "She's probably still freaked out."

"Alright, you stay with Raven," said Robin. "We'll go check out this Peter Roth man." And with that the team split up.

Beast Boy was glad to be the one who got to check on her. He always seemed to volunteer to be with her lately. He wasn't sure why that was. It was just Raven. Beautiful, smart, cute Raven.

He reached her door and softly knocked on it. "Raven, it's BB," he said. "Are you alright? Can I come in?"

"If you want to," said Raven.

He opened her door and found her sitting on the window seat of her room. It was dark out now and he wasn't sure what she was looking at. He went over to her and took a seat across from her.

"You okay?" he asked.

"I'm not sure," she said. "This is probably the least likeliest thing that has ever happened."

"Yeah, but… aren't you kinda happy about it?" he asked. "I mean, you have living relatives."

"We don't know that yet," said Raven. "And, until we know for certain that that man is my grandfather, I really don't want to think about it."

It grew quiet between them for a few seconds. Raven continued to look out the window and Beast Boy did as well. He saw that there was a lovely view of the Wayne estate and the stars were all in clear view.

"Did… did your mother ever talk about her parents?" asked Beast Boy.

"Never," said Raven, shaking her head and shrugging. "But, the truth is, I don't really know much about my mother. So, of course I didn't know that she had family. Or, _if_ she had family, as the case may be."

"Well, the others are finding out right now," said Beast Boy. "And if his story checks out we'll do a blood test to see if you are related."

"And what do I do if we are?" asked Raven more to herself than to him.

"That's up to you," said Beast Boy. "I know that if I found a long lost relative I would want to get to know them."

"Do you have any family left?" asked Raven.

"Yeah, I've got a cousin somewhere," said Beast Boy. "He's really annoying, though, so I don't really keep in touch with him."

"More annoying than you?" Raven laughed.

"Hey, I am not annoying," said Beast Boy. Raven stared at him. "Okay, I may be a little annoying, but he's like ten times more annoying than me."

"So it runs in the family," Raven chuckled.

Beast Boy was happy to hear her laugh and see her smile a little bit. That's all he wanted to do was make her feel good. He wanted to make sure she never felt miserable again. Knowing that she was happy made him feel beyond happy.

Raven was beginning to feel a little better now. Beast Boy somehow had that affect on her. She liked how sweet he was to her. She felt comfortable around him, like she didn't have to worry about impressing him. And he always knew what she needed, unlike the others. That's not to say she always wanted what she needed. Sometimes she wanted to be alone, but he knew she needed to be with her friends. He just knew her like that.

"Hey, do you wanna do something to get your mind off of this whole thing?" he asked.

"Like what?" asked Raven.

"Alfred got me a whole bunch of Sci-fi movies," said Beast Boy with a grin. "There are a couple that are pretty funny cuz they're so badly made. Wanna watch some?"

Raven thought for a moment and then said, "Sure, that sounds better than sitting here and thinking anymore."

"Awesome," he said, grabbing her hand and leading her out of her room and over to his.

Down in the Bat Cave the group was doing their research on Peter Roth. And, to their surprise, his story was checking out. His name was Peter John Roth and his wife's name was Mary Margaret Roth. He and his wife had had one daughter named Angela Roth who disappeared when she was seventeen. He was the activities director of his Church and didn't have any police record to speak of. Everything seemed to be in order.

"Well, let's get a blood sample from him and see if he really is related to Raven," said Robin.

"No need," said Batman. "His physical was last Tuesday and they still have some of his blood on record. I'll access into it and get a sample. Go get Raven so we can get a blood sample from her."

"I shall go," said Starfire, flying off.

She flew up to the hall where all of their rooms were. She saw that Ravens door was open but she was not there. She heard the television blaring from Beast Boy's room and decided to see if she was there. She knocked on the door and waited.

Beast Boy opened the door and said, "Hey Star, what's up?"

"Is Raven in there?" she asked, trying to look through him.

"Yes, I'm here," said Raven as Beast Boy opened the door wider so Starfire could see.

"Oh, we are in need of your blood," said Starfire. "Please, come with me. I shall bring you to the cave of the bat."

"I'll go too," said Beast Boy.

"You don't have to," said Raven as she exited the room.

"I know, I want to," he said and closed his door behind him.

The three made their way back to the Bat Cave where everyone was waiting. Raven didn't exactly like how everyone was staring at her, but she pushed it out of her mind. Batman took some blood from her and began to analyze it. She healed the puncture he had made and waited with the others.

The minutes passed as Batman worked and Raven began to feel sicker and sicker. The waiting was killing her. What would she do if this man was her grandfather? What would she do if he wasn't? He seemed to be just a poor old man who missed his daughter. If his story was all true, then that meant her mother had been a runaway. She knew that she had joined that damned cult that had tricked her into wedding Trigon, but why had she runaway from home in the first place? What had happened twenty-two years ago?

"I've got the result," said Batman.

Raven felt a cold sweat break out over her and her heart rate accelerated greatly.

"And?" asked Beast Boy.

"He's your grandfather, Raven."


	9. The Roths

**AN: Nope, no ownership yet… deal with it**

**The Roths**

Raven felt very nervous as she stood outside of the small house. She was going to have dinner with her newly found grandparents for the first time. It had been three days since they had discovered that they were her relatives. And, luckily, she wasn't alone today. Beast Boy had volunteered to go with her so she didn't feel too uncomfortable.

"I hope they like me," said Raven as they walked up the steps to the house, stepping on all of the fallen autumn leaves the crunched beneath their feet.

"They'll love you," said Beast Boy reassuring her.

"Maybe this isn't a good idea," said Raven.

"Raven, they're your grandparents," Beast Boy laughed. "You have to at least spend one evening with them. And I'm here incase things start going down hill."

"And just what are _you_ going to do if the night turns out to be a disaster?" asked Raven curiously.

"I'll whisk you out of there before anything happens," he said with a smile and pushed the doorbell.

The door opened and revealed Peter Roth with a large smile. "Welcome, I'm so glad you came," he said as he took Raven into his arms. Raven, who was still a little uncomfortable with this man, stiffened up slightly. "And you, young man, I've yet to get your name."

"Uh, it's Beast Boy," he said, shaking the man's hand.

"Beast Boy?" said Peter. "That's not a proper name at all."

"Well, that's my professional name," said Beast Boy.

"Well I want to know your real name, son," said Peter.

"Uh, okay, it's Garfield Logan," said Beast Boy.

"Wonderful, well come on in," said Peter as he ushered the two inside and closed the door.

Raven and Beast Boy couldn't believe what the house looked like. It was as if they had stepped into a time machine and had come out in the 1950's. And there were religious emblems hanging all over; crosses, pictures of Jesus and The Virgin Mary. Raven felt a little odd walking into such an environment, given who her father was. Right on cue a woman with graying hair appeared out of the kitchen wearing an apron.

"Oh! I didn't realize you were here," she said and quickly took her apron off. She threw it into the kitchen and came to meet them in the parlor.

"Raven, this is your grandmother," said Peter.

"It's nice to meet you," said Raven who tried to shake her hand, but was met with another powerful hug.

"And it's wonderful to meet you at last," said Mary. "You do look just like your mother. How is she?"

Raven tensed up again and Beast Boy could see this.

"Uh, maybe we should talk about that later," he suggested. "Hi, I'm Garfield."

"Oh, it's nice to meet you Garfield," said Mary shaking Beast Boy's hand. "And you're right, we'll talk after dinner. Which I'm almost done preparing." She smiled and quickly scurried back off into the kitchen.

"Why don't we go sit down in the dining room?" asked Peter. He led the two to the dining room where they sat down. Peter sat down at the head of the table and Raven and Beast Boy sat to his left. Mary quickly appeared again, with her apron on once more.

"May I get you two something to drink?" she asked with a smile.

"Just water will be fine," said Raven, who was too nervous to even think about eating.

"Yeah, same here," said Beast Boy.

She came back a minute later with two waters for them and a glass of ginger ale for Peter. She then went back into the kitchen and came out with a bowl of steamed vegetables. Beast Boy was happy because he knew he could eat at least one thing. She also brought out hot rolls, mashed potatoes, and then a perfectly cooked pot roast.

"This looks wonderful," said Peter with a smile.

"Thank you, dear," said Mary as she sat down to his right.

"Now, let's give thanks," he said and took his wife's hand and then reached over and grabbed Ravens as well. She was quite shocked by this, but Beast Boy was even more shocked when Mary reached across the table to take his hand. He gave it to her and the two bowed their heads. Raven and Beast Boy looked at each other, then joined their hands and bowed their heads as well. "For health and food and love of old and new friends, for everything the good Lord sends. Father, we thank thee. Amen."

"Amen," said Mary.

"Amen," said Beast Boy and Raven after a moment.

Then they released their hands and Peter began to serve himself. Raven just sat very still as the others served them selves. Beast Boy had noticed that she had barely eaten those past few days because she had been so nervous about tonight, so he decided to make her eat. After serving himself some vegetables and bread he served Raven a little of everything.

"Eat," he said quietly to her. She picked up her fork and slowly began to pick at the food and took a bite when she realized that Beast Boy wouldn't look away until she did.

"Garfield, do you not like pot roast?" asked Mary.

"To be honest, I'm not sure," said Beast Boy. "I'm a vegetarian."

"Oh, how terrible," said Mary.

"Excuse me?" asked Beast Boy, taken back.

"Well, you're allergic to meat, correct?" asked Mary.

"Uh, no, I just choose not to eat it," said Beast Boy.

"You choose not to eat meat?" said Peter. "God gave you canines for a reason, young man."

"Well, for me, they help keep predators away," he said with a smile, but they weren't exactly impressed. He quickly quieted down and took a bite of his roll.

"So, Raven, how old are you?" asked Peter.

"Twenty-one," said Raven.

"Really? Angela left us twenty-two years ago," said Peter. "Maybe she left because she was pregnant, Mary."

"No, she wasn't pregnant with me when she left," said Raven. "It happened shortly after, though."

"And what are you doing now? School? Work?" asked Mary.

"I'm sort of a superhero," said Raven, for some reason feeling ashamed. She had never felt ashamed of saving the world before, but suddenly in front of these people she felt like she should be. "I keep Jump City safe."

"Jump City?" said Peter. "You're from Jump City? That's across the country."

"Yeah, it's a long ride here," Beast Boy chuckled.

"Oh, you two work together, then?" asked Mary.

"Yes, we're apart of a five member team," said Raven.

"But that's just in Jump City," Beast Boy added. "See, we're called the Titans and we've got members all over the world, protecting it."

"Isn't that dangerous?" asked Mary.

"It can be, but so far I've come through unscathed," said Raven.

"Oh, I don't like the thought of you fighting criminals," said Peter, shaking his head. "Please tell me you've never killed anyone."

"No, I haven't," said Raven.

"Good," said Peter. "That is a horrible sin to commit. And I hope you go to church."

"Oh, well, not exactly," said Raven. "I've never really been involved with the church.

Peter and Mary gasped and looked at her wide eyed, which didn't help how awkward Raven was feeling. Beast Boy didn't like where any of this was going.

"Please tell us that you've at least been baptized," said Peter, taking Ravens hand.

"Well, yes, I have, actually," said Raven.

"Oh, thank goodness," said Mary.

"You should really start going to church," said Peter. "God will keep you safe when you go off and save the world, though I don't support that at all. Please promise me you'll try to go every week."

Raven was quiet for a moment and then said, "Alright, I'll try my best."

"Good," said Peter in an approving tone.

"Excuse me, but isn't 'Roth' a Jewish last name?" asked Beast Boy. "I mean, all the celebrities I've heard of with that last name of Roth have been Jewish."

"My great-grandparents were Jewish," said Peter. "But my grandfather converted to Christianity."

"Oh," said Beast Boy, thinking. "Then why not change your last name to something more Christian-ee?"

"Because I'm proud of my last name and my heritage," said Peter. "I have no reason to change my last name, or any of my names for that matter."

"Garfield," said Mary with a smile. "How do you know Raven?"

"We've been teammates and friends for years," said Beast Boy.

"Just friends, I hope," said Peter.

"Yes, we're just friends," said Raven.

"Yup, two superhero friends who live in a giant T shaped tower," Beast Boy chuckled.

"You live together?" asked Mary, shocked.

"Yes, but we're just roommates," said Raven quickly. "I live with four people."

"Raven, do you have a lock on your door?" asked Peter, concerned.

"Yes," said Raven.

"Good," said Peter. "I don't like the thought of you living alone without any protection from… your teammates." He looked over at Beast Boy.

"I hope you don't think I would ever do anything… ungentlemanly to her," said Beast Boy, doing his best to talk in a sort of proper way.

"Are you involved with anyone, dear?" asked Mary to Raven, ignoring Beast Boy.

"No," said Raven.

"Oh, I'm sure we can find you a nice boy," said Mary.

"Excuse me, but I think Raven can find her own nice boy," said Beast Boy, getting a little upset with these people and their views on Ravens life.

"You know, I bet that nice young man in my prayer group would like to meet her," said Peter, talking to Mary.

"That's very kind of you, but I'm not really looking for a relationship with anyone right now," said Raven.

"Dear, you're twenty-one!" said Mary. "You can't wait forever, you know. I was married when I was twenty."

"Well, things are different nowadays," said Beast Boy.

"Yes, the world is certainly going downhill," Peter sighed. "That's why it's better that you at least keep some morals about you."

"Raven has plenty of morals!" said Beast Boy.

Raven grabbed his hand, without her grandparents seeing of course, and told him telepathically to calm down.

"I agree, the world is getting a bit uncivilized lately," said Raven.

"Good, I'm very glad we agree," said Peter with a smile.

After dinner they all went into the living room for coffee and dessert. Beast Boy wasn't in the best of moods at this point and kept very close to Raven. He could tell that her grandparents didn't like him and he didn't like them.

"So, when are you going back to Jump City?" asked Peter.

"Tomorrow," said Raven.

"Oh, you must give us your address and your phone number," said Mary. "We have to keep in contact. The holidays will be coming soon."

"Of course, you'll come for Thanksgiving and Christmas, right?" asked Peter.

"I… I guess," said Raven. "I've never spent a holiday with family before."

"Oh, and what are we?" asked Beast Boy hotly.

"I mean, blood relatives," she said.

"And you should spend these sacred holidays with your family," said Peter. "We can go to mass together. I'm sure our church will welcome you with open arms."

Raven gave him a small smile, but it was clear that this was all too much too fast. She was never so happy than when the evening came to an end and they could head back to the mansion.

"It was great to meet you, Raven," said Mary, hugging her tightly. "You make sure to call."

"I will," said Raven.

"And go to church," said Peter in a fatherly tone.

"Yes, sir," said Raven in a way she had never heard herself speak.

"And Garfield… it was nice to meet you," said Mary.

"Like ways," said Garfield, though it was clear he was relieved to get out of there.

"God bless," the two said as Raven and Beast Boy exited. They waved and then walked out to the waiting car and Alfred. Once again, Raven was very quiet. Beast Boy went over the evening again and again in his mind and selected a few choice things her grandparents had said that he was going to bring up later.


	10. Common Room Doors of Fury!

**AN: Nope, no ownership yet… deal with it**

**Common Room Doors of Fury!**

The five Titans were glad to be home. They had only planned on spending a day in Gotham, but with the finding of Ravens grandparents they had stayed four. It goes without saying that there was a very unhappy Silkie waiting for them. Robin had agreed to take the equipment Batman had offered him, but it took a very persuasive Starfire to tell him to say thank you.

"Man, does it feel good to be home," said Cyborg.

"You're telling me," said Robin.

"I quite enjoyed Gotham," said Starfire. "It was quite different from Jump City."

"I wouldn't mind not going back for a while," said Beast Boy, who was still upset about the night before.

"I'm going to my room for a little while," said Raven and she departed.

"She has been most quiet," said Starfire.

"Well, a lot's happened in the last few days," said Cyborg.

"I can't believe she has to keep in contact with those people," said Beast Boy.

"They couldn't have been that bad," said Robin.

"Dude, they totally want to take charge of Ravens life," said Beast Boy. "And they kept preaching to us about going to church and stuff."

"I'm sure they just made a few suggestions to Raven," said Cyborg.

"And is it not good that her grandparents are religious?" asked Starfire. "To have beliefs is a wonderful thing."

"It was just the way they were talking to us," said Beast Boy. "And I can tell that they didn't like me."

"You are a little hard to handle at first," said Robin.

"Whatever, I'm gonna go put my stuff away," said Beast Boy. He grabbed his bag and headed to his room.

Once there he dropped it on the floor and decided to look for his hamper. He knew that Raven probably wouldn't want to do his laundry now that she had this whole relative problem going on, but he figured he should start doing it on his own anyway.

After that was done he decided to check on Raven. He hated that she was so quiet now. Of course, she had always been quiet, but now it was a different sort of quiet. She was thinking, trying to come to term with everything that was happening.

He knocked on her door and said, "Raven, it's me. Just wondering if everything's okay."

"I'm fine," she said. "I just have a lot to think about."

"I know," said Beast Boy. "And if you wanna talk to anyone feel free to come to me."

"Don't worry, I will," she said.

Beast Boy felt relieved at this. "Good," he said. "Well, I'll talk to you later then, okay?"

"Okay," said Raven. "And Beast Boy?"

"Yeah?" he asked.

"Thank you," she said.

"No problem," he said with a smile and then headed back down the hall to the common room. He couldn't believe that she agreed to go to him if she wanted to talk. The old Raven would never have accepted his help. But, he had to stop comparing her to her self five years ago. It was just so hard to believe that this was the same person. He really liked her now. And he was beginning to think that maybe… perhaps… he was starting to… _like_ her.

As this thought occurred he walked right into the common room doors, which he had failed to realize were closed. He rubbed his poor crushed nose and pushed the button that opened the doors. They swished open and he walked on through, where the other three Titans were staring at him.

"Did you just walk into the door?" asked Robin.

"Uh, yeah," said Beast Boy, embarrassed. "Kinda had my mind on other things."

"And what things are these?" asked Cyborg.

"None of you business," said Beast Boy in a warning voice.

"Beast Boy, is Raven well?" asked Starfire.

"Yeah, she's just thinking," said Beast Boy. "I think she'll be fine."

Raven sat in her room on her bed. In front of her sat a phone and in her hand she held her grandparents' phone number. She wondered if she should call them. She had never really had relatives before, so she wasn't sure how to go about keeping in contact with them.

And her mind was still full of questions. They seemed to be wonderful people, so why had her mother runaway? Had they been different back then? Or was her mother just an unruly teenager? They did seem a little controlling, but she could see that it was only out of care. They didn't want her fighting criminals anymore, but that was because they didn't want her to get hurt. She couldn't blame them for that.

She knew that if she called them and Beast Boy found out he would probably get upset. She wasn't sure why he felt so standoffish with her grandparents. It was clear that there was no chemistry between them and he. But he had done his best to remain civil, for her sake. And she was thankful for that. She didn't know why these past couple weeks he had begun to keep a close eye on her and offer to be with her or help her if she needed. But, she was glad for it. He turned out to be rather good company.

But, back to her grandparents. She couldn't believe that she suddenly had… family. Like a normal person. And they weren't demons or from another dimension. They were innocent, human beings who had lost their daughter. And now they had found the only remaining piece of her, and that was her daughter and their granddaughter. Raven felt guilty for not knowing them this entire time, though it was not at all her fault.

Finally, she made up her mind, and decided to call them up to tell them that she had made it home safely. She knew that they had probably been praying for her ever since the T-ship took off.

Beast Boy felt exhausted. He had weathered a four hour T-ship ride without any bathroom breaks, cleaned up his room somewhat, then played videogames with Cyborg, cooked himself dinner, and was now going to bed early. He decided to check on Raven one last time before he went to bed. For some reason he always slept better when she was the last person he saw before he went to sleep.

He reached her door and was about to knock when he heard her talking softly. He wondered why she would be talking to herself then realized that she was talking pauses in between her comments. He pressed his ear closely to the door to try and hear what was going on.

"I know, but I enjoy protecting the city… It's not like I'm all alone… Yes, I understand… Revealing? Really?... Well, I guess it is… Hhm?... You really want to do that with me?... I guess that could be fun… I don't know… I'll have to check with my team first… Oh, yes, I'll make sure I come back at least once more before the holidays... Okay… Okay… Yes, I will… I-I love you too… Goodbye Grandmother."

Beast Boy couldn't believe what he just heard. She had called her grandparents up? Why? Or had her grandparents called her? God, they were smothering. And they were already pressuring her to go back to Gotham to see them. He didn't want her to leave, ever again! He was already starting to get upset, so he decided to talk to her and settle his nerves. He, at last, knocked on her door.

"Who is it?" asked Raven.

"It's Beast Boy," he said. "Just came to check up on you."

"I'm fine, thank you," she said.

"And I also came to tell you goodnight," he said, hoping to get permission to open her door and see her.

"You're going to bed so soon?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm wiped out," he said with a chuckle. "What about you? Are you going to leave your room tonight? You should probably get something to eat. You haven't really eaten in a few days, and don't think I haven't noticed. And now you've got a whole selection of tea, so even if you have some tea…"

Her door slid open and she was standing right there. He jumped back, surprised, and saw an amused expression on her face.

"Since when do you pay so much attention to my eating habits?" she asked, crossing her arms and smirking.

"Uh… since this whole thing happened," he said with a sheepish grin. "You got all withdrawn again and I couldn't help but notice."

"But my eating?" she asked, trying not to chuckle.

"Well, we all always eat together, so when you stopped eating I noticed," he said.

Raven kept smirking and the two stood in silence for a few seconds. God, she looked beautiful. He couldn't help but keep thinking this. That smile, the way she held herself; it was all perfect.

"Are you just going to stand in my way all night or are you going to bed?" she asked at last. "I'm kind of getting hungry."

"Oh, uh, yeah, sorry," he said, quickly moving out of her way. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Beast Boy," she said as she brushed past him, the fabric of their uniforms just grazing, and headed for the common room. "Have a good night's sleep. I'll be around to get your laundry in the morning."

"So… you're still going to do it?" he asked.

She stopped and turned towards him for a moment. "Why wouldn't I?" she asked.

"No reason," he said, shrugging. "Anyway, it's all already gathered up and in my hamper, which I found by the way." He said this a bit proudly.

"Well good for you," she said with a smile, then turned around and continued on down the hall.

He smiled to himself as he watched her walk the whole length of the hall and turn around a corner. Okay, it was official. He liked her. He definitely had a crush on Raven. He turned and continued on to his room.

Raven chuckled to herself as she walked down to the common room. Beast Boy certainly was a character. And he cared for her. That was sort of new. But, then again, she was sort of new as well. She certainly wasn't about to oppose to his caring, it felt nice to have someone watching out for her. It didn't hurt that he was really cute too.

She couldn't believe she had thought of that. Well, it wasn't like it wasn't true. She was making an observation, that's all. Right? Yes, it had to be. But, there was always the chance possibility that she was starting to perhaps develop feelings for the changeling. She knew that she could deny it right now and push it out of her mind, like her old self would have. But, she had other alternatives now. She decided to see where these odd feelings went and if they developed into anything more than friendship feelings she would deal with them then.

Suddenly she felt herself collide with the common room doors. She was quite startled and nearly fell to the floor when she jumped back, holding her nose. Once the stars left her eyes she pushed the button that opened the doors. They slid open and she stepped on through to find her three other friends staring at her.

"Raven, did _you_ just walk into the door?" asked Robin.

"Yeah, I guess I did," she said, slightly embarrassed. "Must have too much on my mind, still."

"Wow, Beast Boy did the same thing earlier today," said Cyborg.

"He did?" asked Raven.

"Yes, he did," said Starfire. "He, too, said that his mind was preoccupied."

"Must just be one of those days," said Raven as she went to the fridge to make herself something to eat.

"Maybe we should get those doors motion sensitive," said Robin. "That way we no one else will walk into them."

"Awe, man, that's just gonna be more work for me," said Cyborg. "Can't we all just start pay attention?"

Raven went about her business and made herself supper and tea. It did feel good to eat a meal without the feeling of anxiousness in her stomach. She was glad Beast Boy had talked her into getting something to eat. She was lucky he had been paying attention to her lately. She felt very lucky nowadays. She smiled softly to herself as she filled her stomach and ignored the sounds of her other teammates arguing about the offending common room doors.


	11. A Twister of a Halloween

**AN: Nope, no ownership yet… deal with it**

**A Twister of a Halloween**

Even though it was autumn, the weather never really changed in Jump City. It was still warm out, not hot but warm, and the trees didn't change here. But, whether it was hot or cold, it didn't matter for it was Halloween. And all of Jump City was dressed for the occasion. Every store had 'scary' pictures in their windows and there wasn't any more candy left to buy.

That evening the Titans were holding a costume party and all the other Titans were invited. They found it quite funny that they only saw each other in costumes anyway, but that was beside the point. On this day they could dress up as something that had nothing to do with saving the world. And children all around the world would dress up as them. It really was an interesting holiday.

The common room was covered with orange and black steamers and fake spiders' web. There was also a fog machine going and the lights were dimmed down slightly to give the room that eerie effect. It was full of different Titans in full costumes, so it was lucky that the common room was so large.

Cyborg was playing DJ this evening and he let everyone know how cool he was. He also wanted to rub it in Beast Boy's face, since he had wanted to be the DJ but was outvoted three to two. One could only imagine who had voted for Beast Boy, other that Beast Boy himself. But, back to Cyborg. He was dressed as an astronaut. The costume was very easy for him to wear since all he had to do was put on a large white suit and a giant bowl on his head.

"Hey y'all!" he announced into the microphone. "Just wanted to say welcome and it's time to get this party started!" They all cheered and a mix of scary/dance music began to play.

"Please, does anyone wish to try my Tamaranean briknak?" asked Starfire, who was dressed as a scantily clad statue of liberty. "It is my planet's version of the punch."

Everyone quickly gave their various reasons for not wanting to try the drink. Starfire wasn't sure why no one wanted to try it, but she placed it down on the table that contained all of the food any way. She then flew over to Robin.

"Robin, may we please do the bobbing for the apples?" she asked, clinging to his arm in a hopeful fashion.

"Sorry, Star," said Robin, who was in a rock star outfit with black sunglasses and all. "But bobbing for apples spreads germs."

"Then what games can we play?" asked Starfire.

"Why don't you go say hello to everyone first," said Robin. "Then we can think of something to do. That sound fair?" She smiled, nodded, and went off to say hello to all of her Titan friends.

Beast Boy felt quite cool. His costume totally made up for the fact that he didn't get DJ duty. He was dressed as the Phantom of the Opera and, if he did say so himself, he had to be the sexiest phantom to date. His dark green hair was gelled back and he was in a tuxedo that had a cape. He also bore the infamous mask that covered half of his face.

"Hey, Beast Boy, how's it going?" asked Aqualad.

"Fine," said Beast Boy. Then he stared at Aqualad for a second. He was dressed as a Japanese chef. "What's with the costume?"

"What? I came as the scariest thing I could think of," said Aqualad. Again, Beast Boy stared at him. "A sushi chef."

It took a moment for it all to click on Beast Boy's mind. He gave a pity laugh and said, "Uh, yeah, good one." Aqualad smiled and then went off to talk to some other Titans. Beast Boy sure was glad he had a better creative mind than Aqualad or he would have gone as a contestant in a rib eating contest. _That_ was the scariest thing Beast Boy could think of.

He suddenly felt someone tap him on the shoulder. He jumped a little and spun right around. There stood Raven with a smirk on her face. She was dressed in some sort of princess costume, but not in any way a happy, prissy princess. She claimed she was the main character in one of her favorite fantasy books. She wore a dress of blue and silver and crown of 'diamonds' on her head and speckled in her hair. She also wore a necklace that shown the image of a raven.

"My, don't you look classy," she said as she looked him up and down. "Although, I'm rather curious as to what you're hiding under the mask."

"Remove it if you dare," he said, wiggling his eyebrows at her.

"Oh, I dare," she said and she removed is mask. She gasped and jumped back as Beast Boy began to laugh. He had _really_ gone all out. The part of his face that had been masked was covered with deformed green skin that made him look hideous. She threw the mask at him and he quickly put it back on. "Where the hell did you find fake green skin anyway?"

"I called in a favor," he said with a smirk. "And you look awesome."

"Thank you," she said with a small smile. "I just wish I wasn't the only one who knew who I was."

"You're a beautiful princess, what's more to know?" laughed Beast Boy.

"Beautiful, huh?" she said, giving him a sly look.

"Hey, you said I look classy," said Beast Boy.

"That's because you never look classy," said Raven. "So, are you saying that I never look beautiful?"

Beast Boy paled and quickly said, "No, uh, of course not! You always look beautiful, I swear."

Raven started to laugh. "You know, you're really easy to get going," she said. "Now go off and have fun." She pushed him into the crowd and laughed to herself.

She meandered her way through the crowd and found a vacant seat on the couch. As much as she had changed, she still wasn't that big a fan of parties. She liked to hang around with her friends, but big gatherings were still a little much for her. But, she did enjoy watching her friends talk and have fun. She found that she could have more fun at a party if she was observing it more than participating in it.

"Raven, is this party of the all hallows eve not delightful?" Starfire gushed as she flew over to her friend.

"Yes, quite enjoyable," said Raven, pleasantly. "It feels like forever since I've celebrated any holiday."

"Please, will you not join our friends and talk?" asked Starfire.

"I've already talked to everyone a little bit," said Raven. "And now I'm just enjoying watching my friends have fun."

"Alright, if you are sure you are having the fun then I shall leave you be," said Starfire and she flew off.

The party went on and everyone was having a good time. Of course, it was a rare occasion indeed when the Titans didn't have a fun get together, especially when costumes were involved. Cyborg was having too much fun playing DJ and showing off to Beast Boy.

"Hey, y'all, it's time for us to get some games underway!" Cyborg announced. The crowd gave a mixed reaction. "Come on, you know we gotta play at least one game."

"Oh yes!" said Starfire, grabbing the microphone from Cyborg. "And we must play the game of…"

"Hey! I'm the DJ!" said Cyborg, grabbing it back from her.

"But I wish to announce the game," said Starfire as she struggled to get the microphone away from Cyborg again.

"This is my special job," Cyborg growled as he fought Starfire off.

"Please, I only wish to…"

"Yo! Get away!"

"But Robin said I could…"

"I'm in charge of the mic!"

"Let go!" they both shouted together.

The others watched as the two Titans battled it out for the right to the microphone. Starfire and Cyborg were both known for their ultra strength and their determinedness. They both struggled between each other until finally the microphone was encased in white energy. It then flew out of their hands and into Ravens.

"Are you two about done?" she asked into the microphone. They both started to calm down and let go of their hold of each other. "Now would one of you please tell us what the heck we're going to play?"

"We are to play the game of Twister!" said Starfire excitedly.

"You're kidding," said Raven with a deadpan face.

"No, I am not," said Starfire. "Quickly, Robin, fetch the game!"

"Star, there's no way we could all play Twister," said Beast Boy. "We'd need a Twister mat the size of…" He trailed off as he saw Robin enter with an enormous bundle in his arms. Evidently he had ordered the world's largest Twister mat.

Cyborg moved the couch and the mat was laid across the floor. He also volunteered to be in charge of calling the shots, just because he got to use the microphone again. Soon, the game was under way. "Robin, right foot yellow… Speedy, left hand red… Kole, right hand blue… Beast Boy, left foot green… Bumble Bee, left hand blue… Hot Spot, right foot red… Raven, right hand green… Flash, left foot yellow… Starfire, left hand red…"

Soon everyone was contorted into many odd positions. This game was very hard to win since they were all so flexible. But, eventually, one by one they began to fall. Mas fell over first, but his brother Menos was one move after him. Then Argent tumbled onto her head and was out. Speedy pushed himself a little too far and fell over, taking Hot Spot with him. After a bunch of cursing from Hot Spot, Starfire fell over with a scream.

Soon the only ones left were Robin, Flash, Beast Boy, and Raven. Everyone else who had fallen stood around the giant mat and cheered for one particular Titan that they wanted to win. Before long bets were placed. Raven felt slightly proud to be the only female left, but at the same time she was nervous that she would fall over and disgrace her gender.

At this time Robin was in a crisscrossed crab stance that looked rather uncomfortable. Flash, who was in a roadrunner costume, had one foot underneath Robin and was completely sprawled out across the mat. Beast Boy was squatting with one hand far in front and his other hand crossed behind it. Raven was in almost a complete split with her hands both on her right side, which was very close to Beast Boy. The others weren't sure how she was able to stay up for so long in such a position. Especially in a dress!

"Alright, Flash, right hand yellow," said Cyborg.

Flash looked for the yellow spots and groaned. The only way he could reach the nearest yellow spot with his right hand was to go over Beast Boy. But, he didn't have a choice. So he twisted his body about and reached over Beast Boy the best he could. Suddenly his left foot gave way and he slipped, crashing onto Beast Boy. Beast Boy let out a yelp and was pushed forward and right onto Raven. She gave a yell of shock as well as Beast Boy fell on her and knocked her down.

The entire group cheered as Robin was proclaimed the winner and the bets were cashed in. Flash grumbled to himself and crawled to his feet. Once Flash was off of Beast Boy, he propped himself up and looked below him. He was lying right on top of Raven! Their abdomens were touching and everything. And Ravens dress had become bunched up in the process of the game and their falling over. This was all too much.

For a second, they just stared at each other. Then quickly, their cheeks burned and both were blushing. They were never so happy to have the other Titans paying attention to Robin. Beast Boy quickly sat up completely and got to his feet.

"Uh, want some help up?" he asked, his heart racing.

"Um… thanks," said Raven as she took his hand and he brought her to her feet. He ended up bringing her up very close to him and again they had an awkward, silent moment. Suddenly Starfire grabbed Raven and hugged her tightly.

"Oh, Raven, you did most magnificently!" said Starfire.

"Thanks Starfire," said Raven, trying to fight her way out of the Tamaranean's grip.

"Man, BB, I can't believe you held out that long," said Cyborg, slapping his friend on the back. "Who knew a scrawny green bean like you could be that flexible?" He began to laugh and Beast Boy growled.

He strolled over to the refreshment table, grabbed Starfire's punch, and went back over to Cyborg. He opened a little hatch on Cyborg's astronaut helmet then poured whole bowl of punch into it! Cyborg started running around, screaming under the punch. He pulled the helmet off and cried, "It stings! It stings! Star, what's in this stuff?"


	12. A Weekend with Grandparents

**AN: Nope, no ownership yet… deal with it**

**A Weekend with Grandparents**

Raven felt nervous again, though she knew she shouldn't. She was visiting her grandparents for a three day weekend. And she was all alone this time. Beast Boy, of course, had offered to go with her, but she told him that it was obvious they and he didn't get along. Besides, she wanted to see what it was like to be all alone with her grandparents.

"And this is where you'll be staying," said Mary as she opened the door to a bedroom. "It was your mother's."

Raven looked around it, taking in the fact that her mother once lived in this room; grew up in this room. It looked like a typical girl room, but it wasn't too girly. It was just feminine enough; warm and comfortable. Raven had never stayed in a normal room like this before.

"It's very nice," was all Raven was able to say as she placed her bag on the floor.

"I'll leave you to get settled in," said Mary. "And then we can cook dinner."

"We?" asked Raven. "As in, together?"

"Of course," said Mary with a smile. "Haven't you ever helped in the kitchen before?"

"I've helped start it on fire once," said Raven with a small chuckle.

"Well, I'll teach you the tricks of the trade," said Mary, patting Raven on the shoulder. "There hasn't been a woman in our family that couldn't cook."

"Well, I hope I don't break the streak," said Raven with a nervous smile.

"Don't worry, dear," said Mary. "With me around, you'll never start anything on fire again." She smiled warmly and then left, closing the door.

Raven stood there for a moment, taking in the feel of the room. She slowly went over to the bed and sat down. It was soft and plush. The comforter was filled with down and ensured a toasty bed. The bed was right next to one of the windows and she gazed out it. She could see the little backyard of the house and beyond the fence laid a field that led to the woods. The trees were still bright with colors, but were beginning to grow bare.

She eventually crawled off of her bed and looked around. She saw her mother's old desk and found it to be completely clean. She guessed her grandmother dusted it every day. She looked through the draws, but found nothing. She had hoped she could learn a little more about her mother while she was here, but there was nothing there to help her.

After she put the few items she had brought with her away she decided to go down to the kitchen to help her grandmother. As she walked down the stairs she saw many pictures, pictures that included her mother. In a few she was smiling and happy, but in the others she looked rather miserable. She actually looked like how Raven used to look when they took pictures of her.

She peered into the kitchen and saw her grandmother in her apron, cutting up some carrots. She turned and saw Raven. "Come on in," she said with a smile. "There's an apron for you hanging over the chair. And I would take off that cloak and push up your sleeves."

Raven did as she was asked and then went to help her grandmother. "So… what should I do?" asked Raven, who really knew nothing about cooking.

"First, you need to wash your hands," said Mary. "Then why don't you take this pot, fill it with water, and place it on the stove for me?" Raven did and then waited for her next order. "See this dough? Roll it into little cakes and put them on this pan." Raven took little pieces of the dough and began to make little cakes the best she could. She constantly asked her grandmother if she was doing right, and if she wasn't her grandmother would tell her how to do it correctly. She could feel herself soaking in every bit of new information she was learning.

Raven couldn't believe how long it took to make dinner from scratch. There was so much preparation and the actual cooking was, to her, complicated and hectic when there were five things going on at once. But her grandmother did it without even thinking twice.

"What next?" asked Raven nearly two hours later.

"Now we serve it," said Mary with a smile as she held up a roasted chicken.

"So… we're done?" asked Raven.

"That's right," Mary chuckled.

"But shouldn't we wait for grandfather?" asked Raven.

"He'll be home in… three… two… one…" said Mary, listening.

Suddenly the two heard the front door open and close. Raven was impressed by Mary's timing. Peter was the manager of the main Gotham supermarket where he had worked since he was fifteen. He was a highly respected member of society and just about everyone knew him in one way or another.

Mary and Raven went out to the dining room and began serving the food. This all felt so strange to Raven, but Mary tried to make it feel as natural as possible. Everything just seemed so perfect. Peter stepped into the dining room and had a large smile on his face.

"Raven, you're here!" he said, walking over to her. He hugged her and, once again, Raven couldn't help stiffening a bit.

"And she helped cook dinner," said Mary with a smile.

"More like tagged along," said Raven humbly. "I mainly watched and lent a hand when needed."

"Don't be like that, be proud!" said Mary as she took her apron off. "I finished in half of the time and that's because you were there to do half of the work."

"I just hope the food doesn't taste bad because I had a hand in it," said Raven as she sat down.

"Nonsense!" Peter laughed. "If it tastes half as good as it smells you've done phenomenally."

Raven gave a smile, but still felt nervous about the food. After saying grace they began to serve themselves and Raven watched their expressions closely to see if either winced or looked like they were going to be sick. She wasn't going to taste her food until she knew it was safe.

Both her grandparents began to eat and they gave Raven a smile. She let out a relieved sigh and began to eat herself. She was surprised at how good it was. It was a normal, family meal, but to Raven it was exotic and new to her. And she really couldn't believe that she had helped to create this meal, it was just too tasty! She couldn't wait to go home and tell her friends that she had helped in creating a more than decent dinner and no one got sick.

That night both her grandparents gave her a kiss goodnight before she went up to bed. She felt like she was in a parallel universe or something. This was all too surreal for her. When she went upstairs she found a folded nightgown on her bed with a note on it.

_Raven,_

_This was your mother's favorite nightgown before she left. I hope you like it, too._

_Your Grandmother_

Raven set the note aside and decided to try the nightgown on. It was surprisingly soft and it was clear that it was well loved. She sat at the small vanity and brushed her hair out before going to bed. For a moment she actually looked like her mother. She could picture her sitting where she was sitting and brushing her own hair before going to bed, wearing the same nightgown.

'So, this is what it's like to live with a normal family,' she thought to herself as she braided her long hair. 'And to live a normal life. It's quite… comfortable. Not at all awkward and boring as I thought it would be. I actually like it.'

She smiled to herself and then went to bed. The sheets were soft and the bed itself was cushiony. The window was right near the head of the bed, so she was able to look out it while she lay there. She was able to see the stars and she smiled to herself. Never had she ever felt so… at home.

The next day her grandmother was taking her out clothes shopping. Both her grandparents agreed that her uniform was a bit revealing, since both of her legs were entirely exposed, and she needed some real clothes. Raven had never exactly worn anything other than her leotard and cloak, except the once in a while costume for a party. And she never went clothes shopping, but that was mainly because Starfire wanted to drag her to the mall so they could try on clothes and chat. She just wasn't one of those girls.

"What colors do you like?" asked Mary as they walked through the clothing store.

"Blue's my favorite, actually," said Raven. "But I don't mind white or purple or black."

"Well, we're going to stay away from black," said Mary. "Far too dark. Besides, you have no reason to wear black; you're thin enough to wear any color you want. But I can work with the white, the blue, and the purple."

Her grandmother began to select shirts and pants for Raven. Then she went over to the dress and skirt section and Raven began to get worried.

"Grandmother, I'm not really a dress or skirt person," said Raven.

"Why?" asked Mary.

"I don't know," said Raven. "I've just never worn them."

"Well, can you at least try on a few for me?" she asked.

"If you want me to," said Raven.

Mary smiled and piled a bunch of skirts and dresses into the carriage. Raven couldn't believe she would have to try on all of these articles of clothing. This really was like she was in another world. It wasn't long before the carriage was full and Raven had to go to the dressing room.

It took her nearly an hour to try on everything and get her grandmother's feedback. Some of it was a little old fashioned, but some of it was also pretty decent. Raven never really liked to show her body off anyway, so wearing pants and long sleeved shirts were actually pretty comfortable. She really battled with herself on the whole skirt and dress issue. Eventually she gave in and tried the darn things on. She found that they weren't as bad as she thought. Not only that, but they made her feel rather… free. She liked that feeling.

In the end she had an entire wardrobe. She even left the store in a real outfit, with her uniform in one of the bags. She was wearing a pair of jeans and a blue turtleneck. Her grandmother was quite pleased and complimented her many times on how pretty she looked. Raven couldn't help smiling and feeling rather… loved.

They went to her grandfather's supermarket to say hello after that. He could barely recognize her and gave her a large hug when he saw her. Raven was now starting to get use to these embraces and she was beginning to feel a little more comfortable.

"You really look much better," said Peter. "I really don't want to see you in that leotard again."

"I'll only wear it when I'm on missions," Raven promised.

"Good," said Peter, smiling. A young man was just passing by and Peter grabbed him. "Oh, Raven, I have someone I'd like you to meet. This is Paul Larkin. Paul, this is my granddaughter I've been telling you about."

Raven couldn't help but feel her heart flutter. He was very very handsome with dark brown hair and green eyes. There was a splash of freckles on his nose that ran into his cheeks. He gave her a shy smile and she could see that he had dimples. He looked to be of an average height and build, and that was just fine with her.

"It's nice to meet you," said Paul, sticking his hand out to her.

"Uh, yeah, you too," said Raven, hesitantly giving her hand to him.

"Paul goes to my prayer group," said Peter. "And he's been working here since he was… how old were you when I hired you?"

"Fifteen," Paul chuckled. "That was seven years ago."

"I'm guessing you like working in the grocer business," said Raven, feeling her cheeks burn.

"Not really, but it helps pay the bills," said Paul with a smile. "I just graduated from college last year."

"Oh, what did you study?" asked Raven.

"I graduated with my bachelors in English Literature," said Paul. "I love to read. I'm hoping to be an author."

"Really?" said Raven, her interest suddenly heightened even more.

Peter and Mary watched as Raven and Paul talked. It was clear that there was chemistry between these two. They watched as Raven let out an occasionally chuckle and looked rather flustered talking to him. And he seemed rather nervous as well. There had been an immediate attraction, and that was just what her grandparents were hoping for.


	13. Beast Boy's Concerns and a Surprise

**AN: Nope, no ownership yet… deal with it**

**Beast Boy's Concerns and a Surprise for Friends**

Beast Boy wasn't sure what was going on with Raven lately. It was almost like she was a completely person. She only wore her uniform on missions, and the rest of the time she wore real clothes. This inspired Starfire to start wearing real clothing as well, like she had wanted to do for years. Robin was beginning to worry that they were getting unprofessional.

Beast Boy also noticed that Raven was a little more happy than usual. She would walk around with a large smile on her face and after she hung up her phone she would hum to herself as she walked around. He knew that something was definitely going on and he was sure her grandparents had something to do with it. This wasn't his Raven. He had liked when she had changed a little, but this was too much.

He walked into the common room and saw her sitting on the couch, and she appeared to be reading. He walked over to her and was about to say something when he saw that she didn't have a book. Instead, she was reading a large stack of loose leaf paper.

"What's that?" he asked.

"Huh?" asked Raven startled.

"Whatcha reading?" he asked, taking a seat next to her.

"Oh, this," said Raven, referring to the papers. "It's a rough draft of my friend's book."

"You're friend?" asked Beast Boy. "Who?"

"Oh, you wouldn't know him," said Raven, shaking her head and looking back at the papers.

"Him?" asked Beast Boy, his eyes going wide.

"Yes, him," said Raven, trying to be nonchalant. "He's from Gotham."

"And just how long have you known this him?" asked Beast Boy, crossing his arms, starting to grow upset.

"A couple weeks," said Raven, sensing that Beast Boy's emotions. "And his name is Paul."

"Paul?" said Beast Boy. "Paul what? Have you done any background information on him? What kind of a friend is he? Do you guys hang out together? Alone?"

"That's none of your business," said Raven, with a smirk.

"Uh, yeah it is!" he said getting angry. "He may be some weird psychotic villain or something."

"I can assure you, he's just a normal guy," said Raven. "He's not a villain."

"Yeah, that's what you said about Malchior," said Beast Boy, immediately wanting to take the words back. Raven stared at Beast Boy for a second with wide eyes. Then she stood up with the thick pile of papers and headed out of the common room. "Raven, wait! I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that!" He quickly jumped up and ran after her.

"Leave me alone, Beast Boy," she said and continued walking.

He didn't catch up to her until they were far out of the common room and in the hall. He finally got in front of her and stopped her. "Look, I'm sorry," he said, out of breath. "I'm sure this Paul guy is… nice."

"He's very nice," said Raven, smiling to her self for a moment. Then she turned serious again and looked at him. "But whether he is or not is not you concern."

"Yes it is, Raven," said Beast Boy. "I care about you and I don't want anything to happen to you. I just want you to make sure that this guy is trustable, that's all. I don't want you to get hurt again."

"He's just a friend," said Raven. "And he goes to my grandparent's prayer group. I can assure you he's trustable."

"Well, until I meet him, I can't be sure," said Beast Boy. "Guess next time you go to Gotham I'll have to go with you."

"Sorry, I'm going for Thanksgiving," said Raven. "And, no, you can't come."

"Why not?" asked Beast Boy.

"Because you don't eat Turkey, you don't get along with my grandparents, and this is my first holiday with my real blood related family," said Raven. Beast Boy looked down, sad. Raven could tell he was hurt since she was treating him like he wasn't family. "Look, just let me have this one holiday alone, okay? After this you can come with me if you want."

"Like for Christmas?" he asked, hopeful.

"We'll see," said Raven, smirking.

Beast Boy smiled and felt a little better. He then realized that Raven with in a long skirt and a white shirt. "You're wearing a skirt!" he said, shocked.

"Oh, yeah, this," said Raven, blushing slightly. "My grandmother picked it out. Do… do you like it?"

"Well, uh, yeah, I guess," said Beast Boy. "I've just never seen you in a skirt before."

"I know," said Raven, chuckling. "But, actually, they're quite comfortable."

"Wow, you're comfortable in a skirt?" he said. "You really are changing."

"Changing?" said Raven. "I thought I had changed. I wasn't aware that I was still in a changing process."

"Oh, yeah, you're definitely still changing," said Beast Boy, who wasn't exactly giving her the vibe that he liked it. "I mean, you're wearing real clothes now and you're on the phone a lot and where do you go on Sunday mornings?"

"Church," said Raven. "I took my grandparents' advice and began to go."

"Whoa," said Beast Boy, really taken back. Then he grew slightly upset and he crossed his arms. "So are you just gonna do everything they tell you to do?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Raven.

"Come on, Raven, so far everything they've 'suggested' to you you've done!" said Beast Boy. "They're taking over your life."

"Just because I've done a few things they've suggested that doesn't mean they're taking over my life," said Raven, believing he was overreacting. "And I happen to choose what I do in my life. I choose to wear what I wear, I choose to talk to who I want, and I choose to go to church."

"Then how come you didn't choose to do any of this until your grandparents told you to?" asked Beast Boy.

"They didn't tell me to do anything!" said Raven, who was growing upset now as well. "Yes, they gave me the ideas, but they didn't force me to do any of this. And I'm happy they did give me the ideas, because I like wearing normal clothes when I'm not on a mission, I like talking to Paul on the phone, and I like going to church. Is there a problem with that?"

Beast Boy glared at her for a second, then sighed. He put his arms down and looked back at her. "Listen, I'm really glad that you're happy," he said. "And I'm glad you're doing all of the thing's you're doing. So I'm not gonna tell you to stop. But, I just wanna make sure this is really what _you_ want."

"It is," said Raven.

"Okay," said Beast Boy. "As long as this it's all your choice then have fun wearing clothes and going to church and… talking to this Paul guy."

Raven gave him a smile and said, "Thank you."

He smiled as well, but behind the smile was still the shadow of concern. "So, you wanna do something?" he asked.

"Oh, well, I'm kind of in the middle of reading," said Raven, holding the large stack of papers up again.

"Oh yeah, right, sorry," he said with an awkward smile, but she could see his ears droop. He then walked passed her and headed back to the common room.

"Wait," said Raven, quickly spinning around. Beast Boy stopped in his tracks and turned around as well. "Um… I can take a break for a little while. Let my eyes rest."

Beast Boy's ears rose back up and he smiled widely. "Cool, what d'you wanna do?" he asked.

Raven thought for a moment. She took note of the time and then smiled. "You wouldn't want to help me make a surprise for the others would you?" she asked.

"A surprise?" asked Beast Boy. "What kind of a surprise?"

"I was planning on cooking dinner for everyone," said Raven.

Beast Boy was quiet for a second. "Uh… _you_ cook dinner?" he asked.

"Yes, me," Raven chuckled. "I've had a little practice and I think I can make a decent meal. But I'll need your help, if you're willing. And if you trust me."

Beast Boy thought for a second, then smiled. "I totally trust you," he said. "Show me what you can do."

"Great," said Raven, smiling.

The other three Titans were out, leaving Raven and Beast Boy all alone to prepare the meal. Cyborg was at an auto shop ordering some new parts for another vehicle he was planning on building. Robin and Starfire were out at the mall and then were going to catch a movie. So the two had all the time in the world.

"Are you sure you know what you're doing?" asked Beast Boy nervously as he watched Raven take out various pots and pans.

"I thought you said that you trusted me," said Raven.

"I do," said Beast Boy. "I just don't trust the chef in you."

"Beast Boy," said Raven, turning to him as she tied her apron on. "If you're going to trust me, you're going to have to trust _all_ of me." She walked over to him and asked, "Now, tell me truthfully, do you trust me?"

Beast Boy could see the seriousness and vulnerability in her eyes. Her beautiful, violet eyes that were light purple with a ring of dark blue around the edge. "I trust you," he said.

"Good," said Raven smiling softly and turning back to the kitchen. "Now, just do what I say, don't ask any questions, and pray to God that I do this all right."

"Dear God, please let Raven do all of this right," said Beast Boy clasping his hands together and raising them towards the Heavens dramatically.

Raven threw a towel at Beast Boy and said, "Shut up and wash your hands."

Hours later the common room doors swished open and revealed the three missing Titans, chatting as they entered.

"I'm just saying that it couldn't hurt for each of us to have a T-car," said Cyborg.

"Cyborg, we don't need five cars," said Robin. "If you want to build cars, go ahead, but donate them to charity or someth…"

All three stopped and sniffed the air. It smelt… different… and different in a good way! They looked at the table and saw a whole spread, with Beast Boy and Raven standing behind it. Beast Boy looked impressed and Raven looked slightly nervous, yet slightly proud.

"Friends, you have done the taking out of food?" asked Starfire.

"Nope," said Beast Boy.

"Then where'd this food come from?" asked Cyborg.

"I sort of… made it," said Raven with a small smile.

"_You_ made it?" asked Robin.

"But it smells… good," said Cyborg, confused.

"Yes, it does smell quite delicious," said Starfire.

"Well, sit down and taste it," said Beast Boy, running over to them and herding them towards the table. He sat them each down and began to serve for them. Raven felt her heart race as she watched Beast Boy serve each item onto their plates. It was basically the same meal her grandmother had shown her how to cook her first night there. She had learned how to cook two other meals, but she felt this was safest. The only difference was she had an extra, vegetarian dish for Beast Boy.

Each Titan looked at their plate of food and each was slightly nervous. Even though Beast Boy had been there for everything, he was still unsure if it would taste any good. Cyborg was a man who loved his food and he hoped Raven hadn't ruined dinner so badly he would fear it from then on. Robin counted on a good meal to give him energy, so this could make or break him. Starfire had an odd sense of taste, and just incase she had a large bottle of mustard.

Beast Boy decided to get the ball rolling. He took a big breath in, possibly his last, and took a bite. He closed his eyes and allowed himself to take in all of the flavors. Suddenly his eyes flew open, wish surprise. This surprised the other four Titans as well. He looked to Raven, shocked.

"This… is… awesome!" he said, smiling widely. He immediately began to eat more, enthusiastically. This prompted the others to try their food as well. They each took a forkful, placed it in their mouths, and waited.

Raven had always heard the expression, "They cleaned their plates," but she never really understood it. Until now. She looked in shock at the table that had once held her meal. Every plate had been licked clean, every bowl emptied of its contents and not a crumb had been spared. She believed that now she could actually say she could cook. And so could her friends.


	14. Thanksgiving with Family

**AN: Nope, no ownership yet… deal with it**

**Thanksgiving with Family**

Raven looked in the vanity mirror in what was now being referred to as her room. She wanted to look nice. It was Thanksgiving and Paul would be joining the Roth family for dessert. She was in a cute little blue dress that kept her covered, but didn't look matronly. It actually looked very Raven.

There came a knock at her door and she jumped. "Come in," she said, quickly standing up from her seat.

Her grandmother poked her head in and smiled. "He's here," she said. "And you look lovely, so come downstairs."

"Okay," said Raven with a small smile.

She walked down the stairs and saw Paul talking to her grandfather, smiling and chuckling to something that had been said. He was holding something in his hands that resembled a pie.

"Oh, Raven, there you are," said Peter upon seeing her.

Paul turned, saw her, and smiled. "Hi Raven," he said kindly. "Happy Thanksgiving."

"Happy Thanksgiving to you, too," said Raven upon reaching the bottom of the stairs and walking over to the group. "What do you have there?"

"Oh, uh, this," said Paul, smiling shyly. "Mom made one too many pies, so I brought one over. It's blueberry."

"Why thank you," said Mary, taking it from him. "Dear, why don't you come help me in the kitchen?" Peter nodded and the two quickly scuttled out of there. This left the two all alone.

"So, would you like to sit down?" she asked.

"Sure," said Paul, relieved she had broken the silence. The two moved over to the couch and sat down. "So, how have things been going in Jump City?"

"Good," said Raven. "Crime rate is at a record low, which means our job is easier."

"And your friends?" he asked.

"They're all doing well," said Raven. "Nothing seems to change with those four."

"Yeah, sometimes people reach their limit of growth," said Paul, smiling.

Raven smiled back and looked into his eyes. They were green. A familiar green. When she looked into his eyes she saw… Beast Boy. She quickly looked away and felt a little flustered.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Huh? Oh, yes, I'm fine," she said with a reassuring smile. "So, how's your book coming along?"

"I'm done editing most of it," said Paul. "Did you really like it?"

"Oh, yes, definitely," said Raven, smiling. "It was very original, something rarely found these days."

"I did my best," said Paul, humbly.

"Trust me, I could tell," said Raven.

"And thanks for highlighting all of the mistakes you found," said Paul. "It's really helped me out."

"Well, I want you to publish it, so I'll help you as much as I can," said Raven.

Just then Mary and Peter came in with the desserts, coffee, and tea. Raven had no doubt that they had been eavesdropping. They just really wanted the two of them to hit it off.

"So, Paul, how's your family doing?" asked Mary.

"Fine," said Paul. "My sister Elisa is due to give birth any day now. It's still really weird to think of her married and about to have a kid. But, it's cool that I'm going to be an uncle."

"Oh, do you like children?" asked Peter.

"Sure," said Paul, shrugging. "I kinda had to in my family, what with five younger siblings and all."

"There are seven children in your family?" asked Raven.

"Yup," said Paul with a grin. "I'm second oldest, but the first son."

"Wow, that's a large family," said Raven. "It must have been nice to grow up around so many people."

"Nice isn't exactly the word I'd use," Paul laughed. "More like crowded without any privacy. But, I love them."

Suddenly the phone began to ring. "Now who could that be?" said Mary as she stood up to take care of the offending ringing phone in the other room. They heard her answer from the other room, then she called out, "Raven, it's for you."

"Me?" said Raven, standing up and going over to the phone. She took it from her grandmother who didn't have a pleasant look on her face. After Raven got the phone her grandmother went back into the parlor. "Hello?"

"Hey Raven," said Beast Boy.

"Beast Boy? Why are you calling?" she asked.

"I just wanted to say happy Thanksgiving," said Beast Boy. "This is the sixth year in a row I've had to miss you at Thanksgiving. Are you having a good time? Are you making all of your own decisions?"

"I'm having a fine time and yes I am," Raven sighed. "How was your Thanksgiving?"

"Eh, same old same old," said Beast Boy. "I almost tricked Cy into eating my tofurkey, but at the last second Starfire gave it away."

Raven chuckled a little bit. "You're still trying to get him to taste it?" she asked. "When will you learn?"

"Hopefully never," Beast Boy laughed. "His reaction every year is priceless. Oh, and Silkie ate all of our desserts. So, we've got nothing for later. You guys are probably having dessert right now, right?"

"Yes, we're four hours ahead of you," said Raven. "And that's too bad about your desserts. Can't you just go pick something up?"

"Every place is closed," said Beast Boy. "Could you bring back a slice of something for me?"

"Sure," said Raven, smiling. "Well, listen, I've got to go. Paul's here and everyone's waiting for me."

"Paul's there!" said Beast Boy.

"Yes, he came for dessert," said Raven. "Anyway, I'll see you in two days, okay?"

"Yeah, okay, see you later Raven," said Beast Boy, sounding a little down.

"Bye Beast Boy," said Raven, hanging up the phone. She wondered why he sounded so low all of a sudden. But she couldn't help but smile at the fact that he cared for her enough to call her today. She wondered if he missed her at all? She quickly pushed this question out of her mind and went back to the parlor. "Sorry about that."

"No problem," said Paul with a grin.

"You should really tell your friend that it's rude to call in the middle of a holiday," said Peter in a scolding voice.

"He just wanted to wish us all a happy Thanksgiving," said Raven. "I haven't spent Thanksgiving with my friends in six years, so they're a little upset."

"Well, family comes first, dear," said Mary.

"I know, but they are my family," said Raven instinctively. She then realized what she had said and back tracked. "I mean, they're as close to me as family. I've known them for a little more than half a decade. They've been there for me through some of the worst moments of my life."

"And we're thankful that they were," said Peter. "But we're your real family and we've missed twenty-one years of your life. I don't think asking you to stay the holidays with us is too much to ask, is it?"

"No, of course not," said Raven, looking down.

Soon the night came to an end and Paul had to get going back to his family. Raven walked him to the door and right before he left, he gave her a kiss on the cheek. This left her slightly flustered and a vase cracked nearby. He smiled and left. Raven was glad her grandparents had been in the kitchen taking care of the dishes at the time.

That night as she went to bed she couldn't help thinking about the kiss Paul had given her. It had really caught her off guard. There was something odd about all of this. As sweet and handsome and wonderful as Paul was, she was noticing that their chemistry was much more for a friendship relationship. That's why the kiss had caught her off guard. It had been like if Robin or Cyborg had kissed her on the cheek. It just felt a little awkward and out of place.

As she climbed in under her covers her mind drifted to Beast Boy's call to her. He sounded like he missed her. She loved knowing that she was missed. And she had to remember to bring him back some dessert. He probably thought that she had made them. Ever since her successful dinner for her friends, he had been begging her to cook more. She told him that she didn't know how to cook many vegetarian meals, but he told her that he'd get her the right cookbooks.

She then realized that she missed him as well. Every night, for some reason, he would knock on her door before going to bed, to tell her goodnight. He would then talk to her until she finally had to open her door. After that he seemed relieved and would finally retire to his chambers for the night.

She wasn't sure why, but she needed to see him. She grabbed her communicator and flipped it open and dialed Beast Boy's code. She felt a little nervous, hoping that she wouldn't wake him, but then she remembered that it was four hours earlier in Jump City. The screen fizzled and then Beast Boy's face appeared.

"Raven? What's wrong?" he asked, concerned.

"Nothing," said Raven. "I'm just going to bed and I… I wanted to talk to you. You know, like we do every night."

Beast Boy smiled and said, "Hold on a sec." She watched as the screen bounced around, obviously because he was running off somewhere. She saw the common room, then the hallway, then his room. "There we go. Now we can talk without the others getting all weird on us."

"So, did you ever find anything for dessert?" she asked.

"Well, Star attempted to make us some cookies, but you can imagine how that turned out," said Beast Boy. "So, after we cleaned up her mess, Robin made some jell-o and we're waiting for it to set."

"Did Cyborg watch the football game?" asked Raven.

"Of course, he does every year," said Beast Boy. "That's usually when I try to trick him into eating the tofurkey because he's not paying attention."

"Wow, you've really thought it out," said Raven, chuckling.

"Oh yeah," he said, proudly. "I'm gonna do it someday."

"I have no doubt," said Raven, smiling softly.

"Hey Raven?" he asked, hesitantly.

"Yes?" she answered.

"Uh… do you really like it when we talk before I or you go to bed?" he asked.

"Of course," said Raven with a smile. "If I didn't would I have really contacted you while I'm three thousand miles away and in bed?"

"Huh, I guess not," said Beast Boy, thinking. "You know, I always have an urge to call you right before I go to bed when you're away. I never knew it was okay to do so."

"Well, now you know," said Raven.

Beast Boy smiled, but then looked a little downhearted. "So, uh, how was your visit from Paul?" he asked.

"Fine," said Raven. "He brought us a pie and we talk about his book. Nothing special."

"Nothing special?" he repeated. "Are you sure?"

"Yes," said Raven, confused as to why he was asking her.

"Oh, good," said Beast Boy, sounding relieved. "I mean, uh, that's good. I'm glad he's such a good friend. Though, I still haven't met him."

"I'm sure you will someday," said Raven. She yawned and realized how exhausted she was. She had helped her grandmother cook the Thanksgiving dinner and that took a long time to make. "Well, I'm ready to go to sleep now. Thanks for talking to me for a little while."

"No problem, Raven," he said smiling. "Sweet dreams."

"Thanks, Beast Boy," she said smiling warmly. "Same to you when you go to bed. I'm sorry you can't talk to me before you go to sleep."

"Don't worry, I've done it the past couple nights," said Beast Boy. "It's been hard, but I've gotten through it. I'll talk to you tomorrow, okay?"

"Sounds good," said Raven.

They said their goodbyes and Raven put her communicator away. She snuggled down into her bed and felt very content. She closed her eyes and soon drifted off into a deep, comfortable slumber.


	15. Feelings Strengthen

**AN: Nope, no ownership yet… deal with it**

**Feelings Stengthen**

Control Freak laughed menacingly, or as menacingly as the poor guy could. "Tremble in fear, mortals!" he yelled out to the sky. "At last, Control Freak has the control!" He held up a large remote with many buttons.

"Yeah, crowd control," said Beast Boy, noticing the lack of people in the general area as the five arrived.

"Hello Titans!" he said in an excited squeal. "Do you wanna see what my new remote can do?" He pointed it at the five Titans and pressed the rewind button. Suddenly all five began moving backwards in the exact steps they had taken. He then pressed play and they were running towards him again.

"Yeah, crowd control," said Beast Boy. He then stopped and shook his head. "Whoa! De ja vu."

Control Freak laughed and said, "There's no way you can win now! I control your every move!"

"Titans, get that remote," ordered Robin, and the five took off.

Cyborg went charging at the large, still acne covered young man and attempted to knock the remote out of his hand. Control Freak smirked and pushed the pause button. Cyborg stopped where he was, in mid attack yell. Control freak tossed the remote in the air casually and caught it.

Suddenly he felt starbolts bombarding him and he gave a slight scream. He looked up and saw Starfire flying about and ready to fly in and attack again. He raised his remote to her and pressed the rewind button. She flew backwards and he waited until she was back on the ground to push pause.

"You Titans can do nothing now that I control your every move!" laughed Control Freak.

"I wouldn't count on it, Control Freak," said Robin, attacking him with his bow-staff.

Control Freak yawned and stepped out of the way. He then pushed fast forward and watched as Robin kicked and punched and fought in hyper speed, only without Control Freak there, so he was attacking air. After a few seconds, he pushed play and Robin fell to his knees, gasping for air he was so tired.

"You see? Not even _you_ can stop me now!" he said as he pushed pause on Robin, so that he could no longer move.

"And what about me?" asked Beast Boy, cracking his knuckles.

"I've got a special button for you," said Control Freak as he pressed a button on his remote.

Beast Boy opened his mouth to say, "And what's it gonna do?" but he found that no sound came out of his mouth. He had been muted! He gave a silent scream and held his throat, wondering where his voice went. Control Freak began laughing and this only angered Beast Boy. He growled, turned into a raptor, and went after the fat, greasy man.

But every time he took a step forward, Control Freak would press the stop button, and Beast Boy would come to a halt. He would try moving again, but would be stopped a second later. This was all getting quite frustrating.

"And freeze!" said Control Freak, as he pushed pause and stopped Beast Boy where he stood. "Yes, I am the victor! I'm the coolest! I'm the…"

"Biggest loser to ever walk the Earth?" said Raven. "Yes, I'd agree with that."

Control Freak turned and smirked when he saw her. "Oh, it's only you?" he laughed. "I didn't even know you were back. Well, pick a pose, cuz you're gonna be stuck in it forever!" He began laughing idiotically again and Raven rolled her eyes.

Suddenly the remote in Control Freak's hand flew out of it and went over to Raven. She grabbed it and looked at him with her own smirk. "Now, if you had actually acted before speaking, I wouldn't have been able to do that."

"Hey, no fair!" cried Control Freak. "You cheated!"

Raven smirked and pressed on of the buttons on the remote. Control Freak's voice disappeared and he was silent. He grew quite upset and attempted to scream at her, but nothing came out.

While he was ranting and raving Raven released her teammates from their paused states. They each felt rather stiff and began to stretch. Raven then turned back to Control Freak and pressed another button.

"¡Ustedes verán que soy un genio!," he screamed at them, then covered his mouth. "¡Ah! ¡Hablo en español!"

Raven was feeling quite entertained with this little device. She pressed another button and watched as Control Freak began moving at super speed. She stopped it and he looked like he was going to have a heart attack. She then pushed the rewind and he moved backwards to where he was yelling in Spanish.

"¡Párelo!" Control Freak screamed.

Raven chuckled to herself and knew she had to stop. She pushed pause and went over to her friends. "Here you go," she said, giving the remote to Robin. "Have fun."

"Ooh, can I have a turn!" said Beast Boy, trying to get it away from Robin.

"No, we're going to lock this thing away, as well the remote," said Robin. "Cyborg, cuff him."

"On it," said Cyborg, placing the frozen Control Freak in handcuffs.

"How does he get such technology?" asked Starfire.

"Who knows," said Robin.

"Well, at least he's not getting any smarter," Beast Boy chuckled. "He totally forgot we had Raven." He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and brought her close. "He didn't even see you coming."

"Well, this is the first time I've fought him since I've returned," said Raven. "Poor guy probably worked on that remote for months."

"Don't tell me you feel sorry for him," said Robin.

"Not sorry," said Raven. "Just pity. Now let's go home."

"Are you gonna cook lunch?" asked Beast Boy, excitedly.

"Beast Boy, you're running me ragged!" laughed Raven. "Can't I just cook once a day?"

"But I _love_ your food!" said Beast Boy.

"Oh, yes, as do I," said Starfire clapping. "I would very much enjoy if you made us the lunch."

"I'm starting to regret that I learned to cook," Raven sighed. "I'll tell you what, if you let me take a break from making lunch, I'll make you dinner _and_ dessert. Does that sound fair?"

"What kinda dessert?" asked Beast Boy.

Raven sighed, rolled her eyes, and said, "Any dessert you want."

"Gravy covered chocolate cookies, please!" said Starfire, clapping.

"No, cherry pie!" said Cyborg as he carried the paused Control Freak above his head.

"I like your apple crisp," said Robin, who couldn't deny that he was addicted to Ravens cooking as well.

"No, you gotta make that chocolate cake pudding thing again," said Beast Boy.

Soon all four were in a deep discussion over what Raven could cook. Raven already felt exhausted just from hearing their orders, so she chose to fly back to the tower. She would have to have a quick lunch and then get to work. Not that she minded at all. She loved to cook and she loved to make her friends happy.

The others came home after locking Control Freak up and found that Raven had prepared a small lunch for them and was now busy in the kitchen preparing dinner. She was now out of her uniform and wore a pair of jeans and a black blouse, with the apron on of course. They couldn't believe how happy she was now. Every day she smiled and cooked and genuinely seemed to be enjoying life. She didn't even need to meditate anymore, for cooking was her new way to center her mind.

And it was very rare that Beast Boy wasn't there watching, talking, or helping her. He was always as close to her as possible, but not close enough to make the others notice. But Raven certainly noticed, and she liked him there. He was very curious always asked when she was doing. She had learned many cooking techniques from her grandmother and was always eager to practice them.

She went to her grandparents every weekend now. This, of course, made Beast Boy rather unhappy, but he had learned to let it go. As long as she was happy he could deal with it. But it wasn't her grandparents that concerned him now. It was this Paul fellow. Evidently she hung out with him every time she went to Gotham. He would constantly ask her what they did when they 'hung out', but she would tell him that it was nothing she didn't do with him. That wasn't exactly the answer he was hoping for.

After dinner that night Raven was exhausted. They were all sprawled out on the couch, watching television. Everyone was full and happy and thanked Raven a dozen times. She was beaming with pride, but only for a little while. It wasn't long before she had passed out on the couch, leaning on Beast Boy.

"Please, should we wake her?" asked Starfire in a quiet voice.

"Naw, she deserves to sleep," said Cyborg.

"But we can not leave her here on the couch," said Starfire.

"Someone can bring her to her bedroom," said Robin.

"I'll do it," said Beast Boy. "She's practically sleeping on me anyway." He moved her a little bit and then scooped her up. "Be back," he said and headed off to her room.

Beast Boy couldn't help absolutely loving this moment. He was carrying a sleeping Raven to her room. And as he walked he could have sworn that she snuggled up to him. He wondered if there was any way that she could possible like him like he liked her. She seemed to enjoy his company, and that was a large improvement to how they used to interact a few years ago.

He reached her room and eventually figured out how to slide her door open. It looked far different than it had a few years ago. No longer was it dark and dreary upon a midnight weary. Now it was a little more normal and it really matched her new personality. He liked it.

He gently lay her down on her bed and made sure she was comfortable. As he did she let out a sigh and her eyes fluttered. "What's going on?" she asked, still half asleep.

"You fell asleep on the couch, so I brought you to your room," said Beast Boy.

"Thanks," said Raven, turning on her side and snuggling into her pillow.

"No problem," said Beast Boy, smiling. "Now go back to sleep."

"Okay," said Raven, smiling softly. "But wake me up before you go to bed."

"Why?" asked Beast Boy.

"So we can have our goodnight chat," said Raven. "I know you can't go to sleep until we talk."

"Yeah, but I don't wanna wake you," said Beast Boy.

"Well, if we don't talk then I'll wake up in the middle of the night and be restless," said Raven.

"Really?" asked Beast Boy. Raven smiled and nodded. Beast Boy smiled, then leaned down and kissed her on the forehead. "I'll be back in a couple hours then."

"Okay," said Raven, closing her eyes and sighing.

He quietly made his way out of her room and closed her door behind him. She couldn't help smiling very widely. He had given her a kiss. And it felt far better than the ones Paul gave her on the cheek. She really couldn't wait until he went to bed so she could see him again.

She had found lately that she really did have strong feelings for him, and they certainly went beyond friendship feelings. She could deny it no longer; she had a crush on her friend and teammate Beast Boy. And she had a funny feeling that he had a crush on her as well. She just hoped he would do something soon, for she was starting to feel quite impatient.

Beast Boy practically skipped back to the common room. He couldn't believe he had actually done it. He had kissed her. It was only on the forehead, but still. And she didn't seem shocked or upset or anything. She looked like she had liked it. And it had felt quite natural. Could she have feelings for him? Was that why she liked talking to him so much? At the moment, he still wasn't sure, but everything was pointing to her liking him.

He made it back to the common room and quickly made sure to look normal again. He really didn't need his friends to see him all happy with a dreamy look on his face. He composed himself then took a seat on the couch.

"Did she sleep all the way?" asked Cyborg.

"No, she woke up when I put her on her bed, but then fell right back to sleep," said Beast Boy.

"I can't believe she didn't yell at you for going in her room," said Robin.

"I think she was too tired," Beast Boy chuckled. Good, they still had no clue.


	16. Compromising on Christmas Eve

**AN: Nope, no ownership yet… deal with it**

**Compromising on Christmas Eve**

The Christmas tree was so large that they had had to remove one of the tower windows and have Starfire fly it in. It reached the ceiling and was almost a little too big. But, Robin let Starfire choose the tree each year, so it was always less than normal. Now it was entirely decorated, as was the whole tower inside and out. Beneath the tree lay dozens of presents, each wrapped and addressed to one of the five friends. And in the air was the smell of gingerbread cookies that were cooling, which caused their mouths to water. And, as happy as this atmosphere was, there was one Titan that was not very happy.

"I just can't understand why you can't be here for Christmas," said Beast Boy as he watched Raven pack. "It's not fair."

"Beast Boy, it's one of the biggest Christian holidays there is," said Raven. "I have to have it with them."

"But we haven't gotten to spend a single holiday with you yet," said Beast Boy.

"I spent Halloween with you," said Raven.

"That's not the same," Beast Boy sighed and sat down on her bed. "And, I mean, understand that you only met them like three or four months ago, but I didn't get to see you for five years. They didn't even know you existed. I had to miss you that whole time."

"I know," said Raven as she zipped her last bag up. "But they've been missing my mother for twenty-two years. And now that she's gone, I'm all they've got."

"But they're not all you've got," said Beast Boy. "You keep talking like we're not your family. Please don't say that we're not, because we are. You don't have to be related to be a family."

"Of course you're my family," said Raven, sitting down next to him. "And you'll always be my family. But now my family has grown, and it's unfair of me to leave out one side of my family."

"Then why are you leaving me-us out?" he asked.

"I can't be in two places at once," she said. "Trust me, if I could, I would. But, since I can't, I'm choosing to spend my holiday with my grandparents."

Beast Boy was quiet for a moment. In this time Raven stood up and grabbed her bags. It was Christmas Eve and she was flying to Gotham in a few minutes. He had been fighting her on this all week, but he just couldn't seem to make any progress.

"Can I come with you?" he asked.

"To Gotham?" asked Raven.

"Yeah," said Beast Boy, standing up. "I mean, if you're going to spend Christmas with your grandparents then that's fine, but I want to be there too. So, can I?"

"Oh, Beast Boy, I don't know if that's a good idea," said Raven. "Why don't I give them a call?"

"Yeah, go ahead," said Beast Boy.

She shooed him out of the room, then got on the phone with her grandparents. She knew that he wanted to spend Christmas with her, but she believed her grandparents came first. It would be up to them on whether he could come or not.

He waited outside of her door, tapping his foot impatiently. He could take not having Thanksgiving with her, but Christmas was entirely different. He wanted her to be with them that day. He wondered if he was going to have to file for joint custody between him and her grandparents so that they could share her fairly.

A few minutes later, she opened her door and stepped out, her bags in her hands. "Sorry, but they didn't feel that it would be appropriate," she said sadly.

"Appropriate? How would my being there not be appropriate?" he asked, upset. "I'm your friend and Christmas is all about being with your loved ones. You know what I think, I think they just don't me to be near you cuz they think I'm gonna do something bad to you."

"They just care about me, Beast Boy," said Raven. "You can't blame them for that."

Beast Boy crossed his arms and thought to himself. "How long are you staying with them?" he asked.

"A week," said Raven.

"Then can I come down the day after Christmas?" he asked.

"I'm not sure," said Raven.

"Well ask them," said Beast Boy. "Tell them I've never seen Gotham covered in snow."

"Alright, I'll talk to them," Raven sighed.

Beast Boy looked at her for a moment, then said, "Raven, do you even want me to come? Cuz you're acting like I'm forcing you to do something you don't wanna do."

"No, it's not that," said Raven. "I just wish this wasn't all so complicated."

He sighed and said, "Would it just be easier if I just stayed her and waited for you to come back?"

"Easier? Yes," said Raven. "But, that's not what I want. I just need to figure out a way to let my grandparents let you come. But, I'll get you there one way or another. Even if I have to put you up in a hotel."

Beast Boy smiled and wrapped his arms around her. "You're awesome, you know that?" he said.

"I've been told once or twice," said Raven, rolling her eyes.

He released her and the two walked to the common room so the others could say their goodbyes as well. She was going to open her Christmas gifts when she got back, as much as they wanted her to open them now. And, after saying goodbye and reminding them that she had left them fresh cookies, she was off.

She couldn't believe how cold it was. Gotham in winter was far different than Jump City in winter. And there was already snow on the ground. She had never experienced Christmas with snow, so she was really having a traditional experience. She smiled as she walked up to her grandparents' house.

Before she could even knock on the door it flew open and her grandmother embraced her. "Oh, Raven I'm so glad you go here!" she said, hugging her.

"It's nice to see you too," said Raven.

"Come on in," said Mary. "Paul's already here."

"Paul?" said Raven as her grandmother yanked her inside and closed the door. "Grandmother, why is Paul here?"

"He and your grandfather are discussing the church's sky trip," said Mary.

"The church has a ski trip?" asked Raven.

"Yes, every year," Mary laughed. "They use it as a way to recruit teens into joining the prayer group. That's how we snagged Paul."

The walked into the kitchen were the two men were talking. There were papers spread across the table. The two looked up and saw Raven.

"Hey, you're here!" said Peter with a smile.

"Yes, I am," said Raven, sick of how everyone always stated the obvious.

"Hi Raven," said Paul with a sweet smile.

"Hi Paul," said Raven smiling kindly to him.

"Why don't you get unpacked and I'll get you something to eat?" said Mary with a smile. "You're always starving when you get here."

"Well, it's a long trip," said Raven.

"Go on, we're going to keep working on this anyway," said Peter, referring to the mess of papers.

Raven went up to her room and emptied her bags. She had one bag full of presents and she was going to put those under the tree. She looked out her window for a moment and she could see that the back yard has snow scattered around it, but there were bare patches. It had snowed four days before, so not much of it was left.

After she had dispensed the gifts under the tree she went to the kitchen where her grandmother had made her a sandwich and some tea. She sat down and ate as her grandfather and Paul worked. After a few minutes though, they were done.

"You know, you should join us, Raven," said Paul. "The ski trip is always fun."

"That's alright, I've never skied before," said Raven.

"All the more reason you should go," said Peter. "You can learn while we're there. They give free lessons."

"Thanks, but I'd rather not," said Raven. "Besides, I don't do well with crowds."

"Well, you can stay with me the whole time," said Paul with a smile. "I know how to ski, so I can give you some private lessons."

"Again, thanks for the offer, but I'm good," said Raven. "When is it?"

"New Year's weekend," said Paul. "We have a large party New Years Eve."

"Sounds like fun," said Raven.

"Then you should go!" said Mary, nudging her.

"No, I have to be back in Jump City by then," said Raven.

"Oh, I'm sure they'll be fine without you," said Peter. "Besides, you should really start thinking about getting out of that business."

"What? Being a superhero?" asked Raven,

"Yes, it's very dangerous," said Peter.

"I feel sick with nervousness each day knowing you may get hurt or even… die," said Mary, growing upset.

"It's really not as dangerous as you think," said Raven. "Besides, I've been doing this since I was fourteen. I know what I'm doing out there, as do my teammates."

"But haven't you ever wanted to live a normal life?" asked Paul.

"Well… sometimes, I guess," said Raven. "But, I love my life and I really wouldn't want to change it."

"You should always be up for change, Raven," said Peter in a fatherly tone.

Raven didn't like the odd sound in his voice, and went quiet. She could tell they were pushing her to go on that ski trip with Paul, but she really didn't want to go. She also knew that her grandparents wanted her and Paul to get together. As much as she appreciated that they didn't want her to be lonely, she just wasn't interested in Paul that way. She felt about him the same way she felt about Robin or Cyborg. As a friend.

That evening they went to church, where Paul joined them. His family went as well and it appeared they wanted him and Raven to get together as well. So they were forced to sit next to each other during the entire service. She was starting to feel a little frustrated with their constant pushing, especially when she wanted nothing more than to remain friends with him. But, she could feel that Paul didn't just want to be friends.

After the service Raven was finally rid of Paul for a little while. She and her grandparents went home and settled in for the night. She was glad to be home and out of that church, which was so packed she could barely breathe.

Of course, when she went to bed that night she called Beast Boy up and the two talked. He was very excited about Christmas and had already tried to guess what their friends had gotten him by shaking the boxes.

"Hey, I noticed that you gave everyone else gifts but me," said Beast Boy. "Why didn't you get me anything?"

"Of course I got you gifts," said Raven. "They're just here with me."

"You're holding my gifts hostage?" he said.

"Uh… no," said Raven. "I'm saving them for when you come here."

"So your grandparents said yes?" he asked, excited.

"Well… no, I haven't told them yet," said Raven. "But I've made up my mind and I want you to come, whether they say yes or not. I'm sure if I tell them that it would mean a lot to me they'll say yes. And, like I said before, I'll get you a hotel room if need be."

"This is gonna be great," said Beast Boy. "I haven't been outside of the city since the last time we went to Gotham, and that was like three months ago. Hey, is there any snow?"

"A little, but it's not really pretty," said Raven. "There are only splotches here and there."

"Awe," said Beast Boy, disappointed. "Well, maybe it'll snow while we're there."

"I hope so," said Raven. "Do the others know you're coming?"

"Not yet," said Beast Boy. "I'm gonna tell them tomorrow, though. I don't know what I'm gonna tell them, though. You know Star's gonna wanna come too."

"Just tell her that you wanted to patch things up with my grandparents," said Raven. "Hopefully that won't be a lie."

"Hey, I'll be good if they be good," said Beast Boy.

"I'll see what I can do," said Raven.

They talked until the very early hours of the morning, well, for Raven at least. By the time they were done it was very late night for Beast Boy. And he still wasn't tired. He was far too excited to feel sleepy. But, she _was_ tired. So they said their goodnights and both were able to sleep comfortably that night.


	17. A Letdown Christmas

**AN: Nope, no ownership yet… deal with it**

**A Letdown Christmas**

Christmas wasn't exactly as she expected it to be. She hadn't celebrated Christmas in five years, so she had actually been looking forward to this. Especially since she was spending it with her family. But, it proved to be very boring and uneventful. They had gone to church again, at an ungodly hour, then come back home and exchanged gifts. She had received a sweater, a bible inscribed with her name, a nice hair brush, and a rather large cookbook.

After the presents they had a nice brunch and then relaxed the rest of the day. Raven found herself to be quite bored. She wished she had talked her grandparents into letting Beast Boy spend Christmas with them. There was never a dull moment when he was around. And that reminded her.

"Hey, would it be alright if my friend Beast Boy spent a few days with us?" asked Raven.

"Beast Boy?" said Peter. "You mean that Garfield fellow with the green skin and pointed ears? Why do you want him to come here?"

"Because he's a very dear friend of mine and we're both upset that we didn't get to spend Christmas together," said Raven. "And he's never seen Gotham in winter. Please, can he come?"

"Oh, I don't like the sound of a young man staying here," said Mary in a nervous tone.

"You let Paul come over all of the time," said Raven.

"Well, that's different," Peter chuckled.

"How so?" asked Raven. "I'm friends with both of them, and I've known Beast Boy, I mean, Garfield for years. And, he's a superhero, so you can trust him to do the right thing. If you set the rules he'll follow them. That's how it works at the tower."

"I still don't know," said Peter.

"Please?" Raven pleaded. "I really want him to come and if I have your permission it'll make me feel a whole lot better."

Her grandparents thought this over for a minute or two. Raven felt very nervous. She knew that if they told her no, she would have to go against them and tell them that he was coming any way. But, to her relief, they didn't tell her no.

"Alright, he can stay with us," said Peter. "But I want to make sure that you trust him enough."

"I'd trust him with my life," said Raven with a smile. "He's a really good guy, you'll see."

"Alright, we trust your judgment," said Mary.

Raven felt very relieved and the whole dull day seemed to be brighter now. She couldn't wait to tell Beast Boy. She knew the second she told him he'd be on his way. And she couldn't wait to give him his gifts. She also wondered what he got her. Usually, he got her something that was more for him self than for her. Like a new game controller that she would give to him since she had no need for it. Or a gift certificate to Tofu-R-Us, which she would donate to him and his tofu cause.

But he had grown up since then, and she could feel that he was sweet on her now. So maybe he got her a gift that would be worth keeping. And, even if he didn't, she really wouldn't care. This holiday was about giving, not receiving. She just couldn't wait to give him his gifts.

And, of course, before the end of the day Paul came over to exchange gifts. She was surprised her grandparents hadn't invited him to stay over yet. She figured he was like the son they never had. After all, they treated her like the daughter they had lost. They were still young, Mary was 59 and Peter was 60, so Raven could pass for their daughter and Paul for their son. She had been born when they were 39 and 40. She was sure that that was why it was hard for them to really consider her a granddaughter.

"Merry Christmas, Raven," said Paul with a shy smile.

"Merry Christmas," said Raven with a kind smile. "Did you have a good day?"

"Yeah, it was alright," said Paul, looking slightly nervous. "I, um, got you this." He held out a gift to her.

"Oh, why, thank you," said Raven, taking it. "I got you one too."

"You did?" he said, slightly excited.

"Yes, it's under the tree, let me get it," said Raven. She went over to the tree and grabbed one of the unopened gifts. "Here you go," she said as she handed it to him.

They both sat down and waited for the other to open their gift. Finally Raven decided to just go ahead and open hers first, since it appeared he would wait forever. She ripped the paper away and what was revealed was a book. But, not any book. It was his book, the one he had been writing for years and let Raven preview.

"You got it published?" she asked with a smile.

"Yeah, and we just got in a shipment of the first copies," he said. "Open it up."

Raven opened the cover and saw that he had written her a long note about how glad he was to have met her and how he thought God had meant for it to be. Then he signed it, 'Love Paul'.

"Thank you so much," said Raven smiling, trying not to look as awkward as she felt at the moment. "I'm sure one day it'll be worth a lot of money."

"I don't know about that," said Paul as he unwrapped his gift. He tossed the paper aside and found that it was a book as well. "Oh, nice, I've wanted to read this one!"

"I know, I thought you'd like it," said Raven.

"This is great, thank you so much," said Paul, kissing her on the cheek again.

"Oh, are we interrupting something?" asked Mary as she and her husband entered the room.

"No," said Raven, glad they had come in. "We were just exchanging gifts." Her grandparents smiled and sat down with the two. Raven knew that as long as they were there Paul wouldn't try to kiss her again.

"So, Raven, have you rethought about going on the ski trip?" asked Peter.

"No, I still don't want to go," said Raven. "Besides, Beast Boy will be here."

"Your friend? He's coming here?" asked Paul, slightly shocked.

"Yes," said Raven. "He'll be here tomorrow."

"Oh," said Paul. "I was going to see if you wanted to hang out this week, but if you're friends going to be here then…"

"Don't be silly," said Peter, cutting right in. "Just because her friend's here doesn't mean you two can't still get together."

"I'm not going to leave Beast Boy here all alone while I'm out with Paul," said Raven. "He'll feel ignored."

"Oh, he'll be fine," said Mary. "And please don't call him that name. It's so… outrageous. Call him Garfield."

"Around you, I will," said Raven. "But when I'm talking to him I'm going to call him Beast Boy."

"Raven, you know the rules of this house," said Peter. "If we want him to go by Garfield, then he's going to go by Garfield."

"But I never call him Garfield," said Raven. "He'll think he's in trouble if we keep calling him by his first name. And he's going to tell you to call him Beast Boy."

"If he respects the rules, then he won't," said Peter.

"I don't understand why it's so important that we call him Garfield," said Raven, who was growing frustrated.

"We just don't like nicknames," said Mary.

Raven had had enough of this conversation and decided to get out of there. "Excuse me, I have to call up _Garfield_ and tell him it's okay for him to come," she said as she stood up and left the room.

"So, have you ever met her friend?" asked Paul.

"Yes, and he's bad news," said Peter.

"He can become rather standoffish," said Mary. "And he's a bit odd. He chooses not to eat meat."

"Not to mention that he has green skin and pointed ears," said Peter.

"I also noticed he has fangs," said Mary.

"What a strange guy," said Paul. "And Raven's friends with him?"

"Evidently," said Peter.

"But… they're just friends, right?" asked Paul, growing nervous.

"Oh, yes, just friends," said Mary.

"Don't worry, Paul," said Peter with a smile. "She's all yours; we'll make sure of it."

Raven returned, looking much more pleasant. "He'll be here tomorrow, but he's not sure if it'll be earlier or later. It all depends on how bad the day after Christmas crime is."

"I'm so glad you're here and not there to join the fights," said Mary.

"Well, I'm not," said Raven, sitting down. "If I'm not there I worry that one of them will get hurt."

"When you are there we're afraid that you'll get hurt," said Peter.

"I know," said Raven, rolling her eyes. "But, I like my job."

"But you'll stop one day, right?" asked Mary.

"I suppose," said Raven. "If I ever get tired of protecting the city or if something more important comes up."

Raven was unaware of the smiles that were shared by the other three in the room. She was far too busy thinking about how happy she was that Beast Boy was coming. She always missed him when she went to her grandparents and she knew that if she had had to go an entire week without being near him she'd go insane. He always made her feel safer. She wasn't sure why, but he did. Like, now, he could take control of a situation and make sure things went right.

After some more chatting Paul went home and Raven went to her room for the night. She was glad to be rid of him. He was always around and he was always trying to send her 'subtle' hints about the fact that he liked her. Evidently, he didn't know that she could feel others' emotions and that whenever he was near her she could feel the same emotions that Beast Boy gave her. But she only wanted to give them back to Beast Boy, not Paul.

"He gave you a book?" asked Beast Boy. They were having their bedtime talk.

"Yeah, it's his first novel," said Raven.

"Jeez, is he trying to impress you or what?" said Beast Boy.

Raven chuckled and said, "Yeah, something like that. I'm starting to get sick of him, though. He's always around and he's always trying to get closer to me."

"Closer to you?" asked Beast Boy, growing protective. "What do you mean by closer to you?"

"You know, trying to sit close to me or hold my hand," said Raven. "And whenever my grandparents aren't looking he kisses me…"

"He kisses you?!" Beast Boy practically shouted.

"…on the cheek," Raven finished. "He kisses me on the cheek. No need to get jealous."

"Jealous?" said Beast Boy, his voice cracking. "Who's jealous? I'm not jealous."

Raven laughed to herself. "Then why did you get so upset?" she asked with a smirk.

"Because, uh, you know," said Beast Boy. "I don't want him to take advantage of you or anything. Really, if he does anything wrong you just tell me and I'll set him straight."

"I'm a big girl, Beast Boy," she said. "I can take care of myself."

"Even so, make sure you tell me if he tries to pull anything on you," said Beast Boy.

"Will do," said Raven, smiling. "I really can't wait until you get here. It's supposed to snow tomorrow night."

"Really? Awesome," said Beast Boy. "It feels like forever since I've gotten to run around in the snow. I never get to change into an arctic animal."

"I'm sure you'll have a ball," said Raven. "Well, I'm going to sleep. I'll see you tomorrow."

"'kay, goodnight Raven," said Beast Boy.

"Goodnight," she said with a smile and hung up her communicator. She giggled to herself as she thought about Beast Boy being jealous of Paul. She then realized that the two were probably going to meet this week. She suddenly felt very nervous. She knew something was going to happen. Both boys were going to end up fighting over her and, even if she wouldn't mind that, she knew her grandparents would never let Beast Boy come again. They wanted her to be with Paul.


	18. The Best Gift Ever

**AN: Nope, no ownership yet… deal with it**

**The Best Gift Ever**

Raven had been excited from the moment she woke up. She cleaned her room up nice, even though she knew her grandparents wouldn't allow her to take him in there, and went food shopping for him. She would have to cook all of his meals for him, since her grandmother refused to cook tofu. But, she didn't mind. Besides, he always said that she cooked it the best.

And the day went on and on and he still hadn't shown up. It was getting very cold out and she could smell snow in the air. And, as happy as she was for that, she was still becoming impatient and nervous about how late Beast Boy was. She hoped he wasn't stuck in battle, but in a way she did because that would give him a good excuse for being late. Finally, around sunset, he arrived.

"Where have you been?" asked Raven as she stood in the doorway with her arms crossed.

"Sorry, Red X made a reappearance and we almost had a xinothium doomsday thing and… well… here I am!" he said, with a nervous smile. Raven stared at him for a few moments. He grabbed his arms and said, "Jeez it's cold!"

Raven rolled her eyes, smiled, and said, "Get in here."

He smiled and quickly stepped into the warm house with his bags. "Ooh, it smells good in here," he said, sniffing the air. "Are you cooking?"

"My grandmother and I made dinner," said Raven. "Yours is waiting for you in the oven. Come on, I'll show you to your room first."

She led him up the stairs and to the room that lay across from his. It was the guest bedroom and hadn't been used in years. She had made sure it had clean linens and had been aired out.

"I noticed your grandparents didn't come to say hello to me," said Beast Boy as he put his bags on his bed.

"Don't mind them," said Raven. "As long as you follow the rules, they'll tolerate you."

"Rules? What rules?" asked Beast Boy.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you," said Raven. "They're nothing major, just silly little things to make them feel in control of the situation. You have to go by your first name, you can't go in my room, your curfew is ten o'clock, you have to be polite, you can't say anything bad about God, you know, things like that."

"The curfew is ten?" he asked, shocked. "Come on! I don't go to bed until like one in the morning, and since my body is still in Jump City time."

"Relax, you just have to be in your room, you don't have to go to bed," said Raven, rolling her eyes.

"So how are we gonna have our goodnight talk if I can't leave my room?" he asked.

"We've still got our communicators," said Raven. "And, they don't know that I talk to you every night, so we have to be really careful. Luckily, though, they're usually asleep by nine."

"That's good," said Beast Boy. He unzipped his bag and pulled out a small gift. "This is for you, merry Christmas," he said, smiling sweetly.

She smiled and took it. She slowly unwrapped it and found a leather box. She opened it up and gasped. "Where did you get this?" she asked, taking a necklace out of the box. It was made of a silver and gold chain with a platinum pendant that weaved into the shape of a raven, with diamonds speckled about it.

"I read your favorite book, you know, the one that you based your Halloween costume on," said Beast Boy. "And when I read it I saw that the girl you dressed up as wore this necklace. So I went to a jeweler place and had them make it. Do you like it?"

She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tightly. "This was the most thoughtful gift I've ever gotten," said Raven. "I love it." Beast Boy felt himself smile dreamily as she hugged him close. He was saddened when she let him go. "Help me put it on."

She handed him the necklace, turned around, and moved her hair out of the way. He wrapped it around her neck and clasped it in the back. She turned back towards him, smiling widely.

"How does it look?" she asked.

"Beautiful," he said, smiling.

She felt herself blush in front of him and she bit her bottom lip. Then she snapped out of it and said, "Your gifts are under the tree."

"Gifts?" he asked. "You got me more than one?"

"Of course," said Raven as she made her way downstairs with Beast Boy following her.

"Awe, now I feel bad," said Beast Boy, his ears drooping.

"Why?" asked Raven.

"Cuz I only got you one," said Beast Boy.

"I don't care," said Raven. "You got me the best gift I've ever gotten. If you'd have gotten me any more I would have refused them."

They went downstairs to the parlor where the Christmas tree was. She reached under and pulled out the remaining four gifts. He couldn't believe she had gotten him four presents. They both sat down and Beast Boy excitedly began tearing the wrapping paper off.

"Awe, no way!" Beast Boy cried out as he held up the newest edition of Mega Monkeys; Mega Monkeys Revolution! He then unwrapped the newest installment of his favorite comic book series. After that he unwrapped a little coupon book Raven had made that included little coupons for when he wanted her to cook. As long as he used a coupon, she couldn't complain and she had to cook him what he wanted. Lastly, he received a CD of his favorite band.

"Do you like your gifts?" asked Raven.

"You're the best!" he said, wrapping his arms around her.

"Hey! None of that here," said Peter, entering the room. Beast Boy and Raven jumped apart quickly, and blushed. "Raven, have you gone over the rules with him?"

"Yes," said Raven.

"Good," said Peter.

Beast Boy quickly stood up and put his hand out to him. "Uh, nice to see you again, sir," he said, nervously, feeling quite embarrassed that her grandfather had seen the two of them hug. Peter looked at Beast Boy for a second then shook his hand. "I can't thank you enough for letting me stay for a few days. And I promise I'll behave myself."

"Well, as long as you do, we should have no problems," said Peter.

Beast Boy smiled, even though on the inside he wanted to put this man in his place. He may have a hold on Raven, but he wasn't going to control him. And, speaking of which, he was planning on observing how Raven and her grandparents interacted. He wanted to see if they were really controlling her, or if everything she was doing now was really her choice. He still had his doubts.

Raven couldn't stop smiling, not as long as she felt that necklace draped around her neck. She couldn't wait to show it off to everyone. She never would have thought in her wildest dreams of having this necklace. She only hoped her gifts to him made as big of an impact as his gift to her.

After Beast Boy ate his late dinner, with her grandparents staring at him the whole time for they couldn't understand how he could eat a meat-free meal, they were sent up to bed. They left their doors open so they could talk to each other without breaking any of 'the rules'.

"You know, your grandparents aren't that old," said Beast Boy. "I would've thought they'd heard of tofu."

"They're old fashioned," said Raven. "Just like their parents and their parents before them."

"So, what're we gonna do tomorrow?" asked Beast Boy.

Raven shrugged. "Whatever you want," said Raven. "But, we better get out of the house. Unless you want my grandparents to glare at you all day."

"Naw, that's okay," Beast Boy chuckled. "We should do something out of the house. Maybe we can go into the city again. You can go to that café and I can really check out that arcade place."

"That sounds like a plan," said Raven. "I really hope it snows tonight."

"Yeah, me too," said Beast Boy. "You were right about the snow being all splotchy. Hopefully it'll snow and cover all the bald spots."

"Did you bring any snow clothes?" asked Raven. "Or anything to cover your bare arms?"

"I found an old jacket, but I don't think it'll fit," Beast Boy laughed.

"Then we'll have to pick you up some clothes tomorrow, too," said Raven. "My grandparents have a thing about spandex."

"They want me to go by Garfield, they want me to wear normal clothes," said Beast Boy. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say they had a thing against superheroes."

"No, just smart mouthed ones," said Peter stepping into view from the hall. "And I don't appreciate people going behind my back and calling me prejudice."

"Oh, uh, sorry," said Beast Boy, feeling very embarrassed.

"He didn't mean anything by it," said Raven. "We're just talking."

"Well your curfew is passed and that means the door is closed," said Peter. He grabbed ravens doorknob, said, "Goodnight," and closed it. Then he looked right at Beast Boy and walked into his room. "Listen here, young man, you are to stay in your room all night. You are not to leave until Raven has left hers tomorrow morning. Is that understood."

"Uh, yeah," said Beast Boy. Peter gave him a stern look. "I mean, yes sir. I'll stay in here."

"Good," said Peter. "And if I catch you outside of this room and anywhere near her, you will be out of this house. Clear?"

"Transparently," said Beast Boy with a smile, but it quickly went away as Peter continued to remain serious. "But, what if I have to go to the bathroom?"

"You hold it," said Peter. "Go before you go to bed or when you get up."

"Then, can I go really quickly?" asked Beast Boy.

Peter sighed and said, "Yes."

"Great, thanks," said Beast Boy and he quickly ran to the bathroom.

Raven listened intently through the door. She couldn't believe how strict her grandfather was being towards Beast Boy. He certainly had no problem leaving her and Paul alone. But Beast Boy scared him, she could tell. Why, she wasn't sure. She was very impressed at how well Beast Boy was handling all of these rules and her grandfather. She would have to tell him how proud she was of him.

She crawled into her bed and rested for a little while. She would wait until it was safe to talk to Beast Boy. She looked out the window and couldn't see any stars. The sky was covered by clouds. She felt the glass of her window and the glass was ice cold, and it radiated off of it. She snuggled into her blankets and rested her eyes for a while. Before she knew it, sleep had taken her.

* * *

A hand gently shook her. "Raven?" said a familiar voice. She lazily opened her eyes and saw a figure looming over her. She gasped and sat up quickly. "Whoa, calm down!"

"Beast Boy?" she asked in a loud whisper. "What are you doing in here? If my grandparents find you…"

"I know, I know," he said. "But I had to wake you up."

"Why?" asked Raven.

"Look outside," said Beast Boy, pointing to her window.

She turned her head and was stunned to see that it was not as dark out as it had been when she went to sleep. It was odd, almost as if it was deep gray outside. She looked closed and saw that snow was falling and had been for a little while.

"Come on, get up," he said, taking her hands and pulling her out of the bed.

"Why do I have to get up?" she asked.

"We're gonna have a little fun outside," he said with an evil grin.

"Beast Boy, I can't," said Raven. "If my grandparents find out that we're up and together they'll get very upset."

"Well, you just broke their rule about you calling me Garfield," said Beast Boy. "Why can't you break their rule about staying in after dark? Come on, it'll be fun."

Raven thought for a moment then smiled. "Let me change into something else," she said, going to her draw and grabbing some clothes.

"Oh, that's right, it's gonna be cold outside," said Beast Boy, realizing this at last.

"Don't worry," said Raven. "I'll grab some clothes from my grandfather."

"Isn't that stealing?" asked Beast Boy.

"Hey, if we're going to break the rules tonight, let's go all out," said Raven with a smirk.


	19. Too Good to be True

**AN: Nope, no ownership yet… deal with it**

**Too Good to be True**

Raven had been wrong, it was still plenty dark outside. The fact that it was snowing made it a bit difficult to see. She and Beast Boy had silently crept out of the house and were now standing in the back yard. The snow was falling fast and amounting quickly.

"Wow, look at it out here," said Beast Boy. He was wearing some of Peter's snow clothes which didn't exactly fit him right.

"It's beautiful," said Raven, smiling softly. She walked around a little bit and felt the snow crunch under her feet as she did. She watched as her breath turned to mist in the air. Suddenly she felt something hit her back. She gasped and turned around to see Beast Boy whistling in a guilty matter. "Hey!"

"What? I didn't throw a snowball at you!" he said, quickly.

She smirked then formed a snowball with her powers. He tried to get out of the way, but was quickly pelted right in the face. "And _I_ didn't do _that_," she added.

"Oh, you're gonna get it now," he said evilly as he began to gather the wet snow up. He threw a snowball quickly at her, but she ducked out of the way. What she didn't see was that he already had another ready, and quickly threw it before she could react. It hit her cheek and she let out a small scream.

She quickly covered her mouth and her eyes went wide. She looked at the house and prayed a light wouldn't go on. After a few frightening seconds, she was sure that they hadn't woken up. "Come on, we better get away from the house or we'll be discovered," she said.

"We're are we gonna go?" asked Beast Boy.

"There's a field on the other side of the fence," said Raven, walking to the back of the yard. She formed a portal in the fence and the two walked through it and appeared at the beginning of the field.

It was completely covered with snow and little could be seen through the falling flakes. It was so dark the two could barely make out anything. But it didn't matter. This field was a blank piece of paper, and they were the pencils. It was for them to do what they wanted with it.

"Oh yes!" said Beast Boy. "Mind if I run around for a little while?"

"Go right ahead," said Raven.

Beast Boy smiled excitedly and was about to turn into an animal of his choice, but he realized something. "Awe, man, I can't transform," he said, pouting.

"Why not?" asked Raven.

"If I change, my clothes will either rip or fall off and when I change back then I'll be standing out here in the snow nude," said Beast Boy.

"Now there'd be an interesting sight," Raven chuckled.

"I wish I had kept my suit on," he sighed, ignoring her statement.

"Well, you can run around in an animal form tomorrow," said Raven. "For now, just run around like a normal person."

"Naw, that's not as much fun," said Beast Boy.

The two walked around the field for a while, silent. They were just talking in everyone moment, committing it to a memory. The smell of the snow, the chill of the air, the beauty of the scenery. It was a once in a lifetime moment.

Suddenly Beast Boy fell backwards into the snow. Raven quickly turned, surprised and concerned. "Are you okay?" she asked.

"Yeah," he said, laughing. He then began to move his arms and his legs back and forth. "Just making a snow angel."

"It'll be filled in by morning," said Raven.

"I don't care," said Beast Boy. "It's just fun. Come on, fall back."

Raven thought for a moment or two, then gave in and fell back into the snow. It still wasn't all that thick, so she felt herself hit the hard, frozen ground. "Oof," she said as she hit. "Ow."

"Uh, yeah, I probably should have warned you," Beast Boy chuckled.

"A little warning would have been nice," said Raven. "Now I've got a bruised butt." She moved her arms and legs about until she felt that she had made a print.

They simply lay there for a while, looking up into the black sky as the cold snow fell onto their faces. Their breath formed clouds and rose high into the air, disappearing. It was silent, but for the ever so gentle sound of the snow collecting on the ground. In this moment, they had no thoughts, they had no cares. It didn't matter what they had done before they arrived or what would happen when the left. They were living in this moment, appreciating every second that was given to them, knowing that they would never see that second again.

"Alright, my ears are frozen," said Beast Boy after a few minutes. He sat up and waited for the blood to rush out of his head and back into his body. He stood up and looked at Raven, who was still lying on the ground. "Need a hand?"

"Sure," said Raven, lifting her hands up. He grabbed them and pulled her to her feet. She felt dizzy for a moment, and grabbed onto him so she wouldn't fall over. Once she was sure she could stand, she let him go. Suddenly, she gasped and grabbed her neck. "My necklace!"

"What?" he said.

"My necklace, I forgot to take it off before we came out here and now it's gone," said Raven, frantic.

"Oh no," said Beast Boy, looking at the large field that they had been strolling around in.

Raven felt like she was going to cry. "We'll never find it," she said, hopelessly.

"Come on, let's at least look before we give up," he said and began looking all over the ground. "I'll look over here and you back track, okay?"

"Okay," said Raven, but she knew it would be useless. How could they possibly find a necklace in the dark of the night in the middle of a snowfall? They would have to wait for it to melt before they could look again.

She looked intently upon the snow, going over every step they had taken. "The best gift I've ever gotten and I lose it in a matter of hours," she said bitterly to herself. "And it was from _him_! He actually put a lot of thought into it and it must have cost him a few hundred dollars." She felt tears creep into her eyes and a few snow patches began to explode, but it couldn't really be noticed. "How utterly irresponsible of me. How could I have forgotten to take it off? I'm never going to forgive myself."

The snow seemed to be falling even harder and her face had grown numb from the cold. Everything had gone numb from the cold. She was ready to give up and go back home. The wet snow had soaked her shoes, which reminded her that she needed snow boots, and now her toes were frozen. This wonderful night had turned into a disaster and she felt miserable. And it was all her fault.

"Found it!" he called out.

Raven froze where she was, shocked at the sound of his voice. She turned around and looked for him through the snow. She could barely see her hand in front of her, let alone Beast Boy.

"Where are you?" she called out.

"Where?" she asked, wandering through the snow.

"Follow my voice!" he called out. "Over here!" She listened closely and continued to walk. "I can see you, you're heading in the right direction. Keep going, just a little farther."

She saw a dark figure a few hundred feet away from her, so she went off towards it. The dark figure turned into Beast Boy, who was holding up the necklace.

"It's cold, but I got it," he said with a proud smile.

"Oh my God!" she said. "Thank you so much!" And before she knew what she was doing she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him right on his chilled lips. She quickly realized what she had done, and felt quite embarrassed. She released her hold of him and jumped back.

He was staring at her in shock, still holding the necklace up. She blushed furiously and gently took the necklace from his hand. She tucked it in her pocket and said, "I mean, thank you."

Beast Boy quickly took a step towards her, closing the space between them, and cupped her cold cheeks in his cold hands. He placed his cool lips on hers and they immediately warmed up. After a few seconds, Raven rewrapped her arms around his neck and held him close to her. He moved his hands from her cheeks and wrapped them around her waist, making sure she couldn't move away from him.

The sensation of their kissing was new and exhilarating. Their faces were frozen and numb and the feel of the others touching their own was quite odd. They could feel their now warm lips chill whenever they paused to take a breath. And their kissing was not fast and lustful, but slow and sensational. All these months of discovering feelings and becoming closer had brought them to this. And what a fantastic moment this was.

After a while, though, the cold got to them and they had to stop. Beast Boy's poor ears were aching and Raven was sure her feet were frostbitten. They pulled apart and for a moment, stared into each others' eyes. The snow still fell and now they had a nice frosting on their heads. Beast Boy reached up and touched one of Ravens cheeks again. They were cold, but he could feel the heat of a blush pushing through. They were red, as was her nose and the tips of her ears.

"Let's head inside before we freeze," he said.

Raven nodded and they headed back towards the house. Luckily, Beast Boy's eyes could see pretty well and he led them in the right direction. They walked hand in hand, still feeling a little shy with each other. But, at the same time, it felt beautiful and perfect and natural.

Raven knew that her grandparents would know they had gone out if they saw that they had dragged in snow, which would be puddles of water by morning. So she teleported them to her room. They were both glad to strip out of their cold clothes. Raven stole a pair of her grandfather's pajamas for Beast Boy and he changed in his room.

Once he was done he went back to Ravens room. He didn't care what the rules were, he didn't want to be away from her. He didn't want to fall asleep without seeing her and hearing her voice. And Raven didn't object at all.

"I'm just scared that your grandfather will catch me," said Beast Boy.

"Don't worry, I've got it covered," said Raven. "I locked your door from the inside so he can't get in there and I've locked my door on the inside so he can't get in here. When he comes to wake us up tomorrow I'll just put you back in your room."

"Cool, though I wish I could have gotten a pillow and blanket before you locked the door," said Beast Boy. "It's gonna suck sleeping on the floor."

"I… I don't want you to sleep on the floor," said Raven.

"Then where am I gonna sleep?" he asked, his heart racing.

Raven scooted over and patted her bed. He stared at her for a second and wondered if he had died out in that field and he was now in Heaven. He moved over to her bed, waiting for her to change her mind, but she didn't. He climbed in and under the covers. He really liked how soft and warm it was.

They were still chilled, so they cuddled up next to each other. Soon the down blankets did their magic and they grew a bit warmer. They were still cold, but they didn't mind. It gave them even more of a reason to get closer.

"Now, don't you try anything," said Raven as she closed her eyes, her arms hugged around him.

"Never," he said softly and hugged her to him, the warmth of her body soaking into his own.

Raven smiled and whispered, "I'm so glad you came."

He smiled as well and whispered back, "Me too."

* * *

Beast Boy took a big breath in and opened his eyes. He saw the ceiling above him. He sat straight up and found himself in the guest bedroom, alone. He looked outside and saw that it was still night and it wasn't snowing. He ran his fingers through his hair and fell backwards onto his pillow.

It was a dream. It had all been a dream. He couldn't believe it. It had felt so real. The feel of the cold night air, the snow falling on his skin, the touch of Ravens lips against his own. But it hadn't been. It was just a dream.

He then realized that it must have been a dream, since he had been with Raven even when he knew he was on the other side of the field. He had felt what she felt when she lost the necklace and heard every word she said. Why hadn't he realized this earlier?

He sighed and turned into his pillow. The dream had been so wonderful, but it left him feel so depressed. He wanted to do everything that he had done in his dream. But he just couldn't seem to take that first step. But, oh, how he wanted to.


	20. Proposal for Engagement

**AN: Nope, no ownership yet… deal with it**

**Proposal of Engagement**

The next morning Raven awoke and looked out the window. It had snowed, but just a mere dusting. It was pretty sad, actually. She sighed and slide out of her warm bed to get dressed. She wondered why Beast Boy hadn't woken her up so they could talk before going to sleep, but she guessed that he was pretty tired after the flight and encountering her grandfather.

She went downstairs and saw her grandmother cooking breakfast. She knew that she would have to cook something for Beast Boy, so she worked beside her.

"How'd you sleep?" asked Mary.

"Good," said Raven. "And, if you're wondering, no, he didn't bother me during the night."

"Good, I was nervous all night," said Mary.

"You don't need to be nervous," Raven sighed. "He's a good person and he'd never do anything to harm me."

"I know," said Mary.

"Then why are you so nervous that he's here?" she asked.

"Because every grandmother worries for their granddaughter," said Mary. "I just want to make sure you won't get hurt."

"He'd never hurt me," said Raven, firmly. "Of that I am sure."

"Okay," said Mary. "Oh, Paul's coming over today."

"What? Why?" asked Raven.

"He's going to take you out into the city for a little while," said Mary.

"Wait, is he taking me or me and Bea-Garfield?" asked Raven.

"Now why would he want to take your friend out on your date?" Mary laughed.

"Date?" Raven said, caught off guard. "You didn't say it was a date."

"Well, does it matter?" asked Mary.

"Yes," said Raven. "I didn't agree to a date."

"You don't need to agree," said Mary. "It's all set up, all you have to do is go with him."

"And what's Garfield going to do?" asked Raven. "He and I were going to spend the day together."

"Raven, it's time that you made more time for suitors than for friends," said Mary.

"Suitors?" said Raven. "Paul's a suitor now?"

"When has he not been?" Mary laughed.

Raven stopped what she was doing and looked her amused grandmother. "Grandmother, I appreciate that you went me to have a boyfriend, but I would feel more comfortable if I chose him for myself," said Raven.

"Dear, Paul is a good man," said Mary. "He's going to be making a lot of money soon thanks to his book and he's a good Christian boy."

"I don't care how much money he makes or if he's Christian," said Raven. "It's who he is that matters."

"Raven, just go out with him today," said Mary. "I'm sure you won't be disappointed."

"I don't want to leave Garfield all alone, though," said Raven.

"It'll only be for a few hours," said Mary. "I'm sure he'll be fine."

Raven sighed and said, "Fine, but leave him alone. I don't want to come back and have him tell me you did nothing but belittle him."

"I would never do such a thing," said Mary.

Raven rolled her eyes and finished making Beast Boy's breakfast, who just happen to walk in at the very moment. She turned and gave him a smile, to which he smiled back. But there was something behind his smile; something sad.

"Good morning," Raven said to him as she handed him a plate of tofu eggs and bacon. "Sleep well?"

"Uh, yeah, I guess," he said, yawning. "Thanks."

"No problem," she said, sitting down next to him. Her grandmother gave her a plate of real eggs and real bacon. "Listen, um, I know we had plans today, but I have to go out with Paul."

"You're ditching me?" he asked, hurt.

She waited until her grandmother had turned the water on to the dishes then leaned in. "I don't want to go, I'm being forced," she said softly. "It'll only be for a little while. And then when I come home we can go out, okay?"

Beast Boy sighed and said, "Yeah, okay. Hey where's your grandfather?"

"At work," said Raven. "Don't worry, I told my grandmother to leave you alone while I'm gone. Just stay in your room and listen to music or something. I promise I'll make it as short as possible."

"Oh, no, you won't," said Mary, who could now hear the conversation. "You're staying as long as Paul wants you to."

"Okay," said Raven, but once her grandmother turned around she looked at Beast Boy and shook her head.

Beast Boy knew they were controlling her. He was glad that she was resisting, but he didn't like the thought of them trying to manipulate her. How dare they try to do that to his Raven? Well, who he hoped to someday call his Raven. Who he should already be calling his Raven. He sighed and took a bite of his breakfast.

A few hours later Paul came by to pick Raven up. And now the two men met for the first time. And there was an immediate hostility. They looked each other up and down and sized them up. Beast Boy was sure he could take this guy. And Paul didn't look intimidated at all.

"So… you're a superhero too, huh?" said Paul. The two were waiting for Raven to finish getting ready.

"That's right," said Beast Boy. "I've saved the world countless times."

"That's cool," said Paul, not really impressed. "I've just published a novel."

"Oh really? About what?" asked Beast Boy, who was also unimpressed.

"Trust me, you wouldn't be interested," said Paul.

"No, probably not," said Beast Boy.

Raven came down the stairs and saw the two men glaring at each other. She knew she had to separate them quickly, even if that meant she had to leave Beast Boy. "Well, I'm ready," she said with a smile, announcing her presence.

"You look great," said Paul with a smile.

"Whoa, real original," said Beast Boy under his breath at Paul's line.

"Excuse me?" said Paul.

"Nothing," said Beast Boy.

"Okay, well, let's go," said Raven, grabbing Paul's arm and dragging him out the door.

Paul gave Beast Boy a smug look that made Beast Boy's blood boil. Lord, how he wanted to pop him right in the face. He didn't deserve to have Raven on his arm. He growled as the door closed and Raven was separated from him for the afternoon.

Raven sat silently in the car. She really didn't want to be there, but she was being forced. She couldn't stop thinking about poor Beast Boy being abandoned back there. She looked over to Paul and saw him with a slight smile on his face. She sighed and just wanted this to be over.

They made it into the city and he took her to a nice restaurant. She did her best to smile and not jerk away when he wrapped his arm with hers. He gave the hostess his name and the two were taken to a table. Throughout all this time, they had still said anything to each other. But, after a few minutes, the silence was broken.

"So, did you have a nice holiday?" asked Paul.

"Yes, it was alright," said Raven, disinterested in the conversation already.

"Have you taken a look at my book yet?" he asked.

"No, not yet," said Raven. "I'm waiting for when I'm bored."

Paul laughed and Raven fake laughed, knowing that what she had said hadn't been sarcasm. She took a sip of her water and then was shocked to see her grandfather walk into the restaurant. Paul turned and saw him as well. But he was not as shocked. He stood up and waved him over. He saw them, smiled, waved back, and headed over.

"What's he doing here?" asked Raven, confused.

"You'll see," said Paul with a smile. Her grandfather walked over and Paul stood up to shake his hand. "It's nice to see you, sir."

"It's nice to see you, too," said Peter smiling and then sitting down.

"What's going on?" asked Raven. "I thought this was supposed to be a date of some sort."

"It is a date of some sort," said Paul.

"Raven, I've got wonderful news," said Peter with a smile. "Paul is going to marry you!"

Ravens eyes went wide with shock. "Pardon?" she asked, barely breathing.

"I've asked your grandfather for permission to take your hand in marriage," said Paul. "And he's said yes."

"Isn't that great?" asked Peter, smiling widely.

Raven just stared at them, looking from one to the other. "I… I don't know what to say," said Raven, speaking the complete truth. "Paul, I've only known you for a couple months. We've never even dated!"

"I thought we were dating," Paul laughed innocently. "I mean, we went out places along and had a good time."

"Yes, but I thought we were just hanging out," said Raven. "Like friends."

"I've never wanted to be just friends with you," said Paul. "I thought you knew that."

Raven felt like her head was spinning and she leaned back in her seat for a moment. Then she regained herself and quickly stood up. "I'm sorry, I need to get some air," she said and quickly left.

Paul stood up to follow her, but Peter stopped him. "I'll go talk to her," he said and followed after Raven.

She stood outside of the restaurant, pacing back and forth. This was all happening too fast. She couldn't believe it was happening at all. A sharp, cold wind blew and stung her exposed flesh. The little snow that had fallen had frozen to the ground, creating ice. It was very hard not to step in the wrong place and slip.

"Raven?" Peter said, coming out of the restaurant. "Are you okay?"

"How could you give him permission to marry me?" asked Raven. "I barely even know him."

"I've known him for seven years," said Peter. "And I know he'll make you a good husband. How could I not accept his offer?"

"But why couldn't any of you talk to me first?" she asked.

"What's there to talk about?" asked Peter. "A good man is in love with you and wants to marry you."

"But… but I don't love him," said Raven, looking the ground.

"Do you consider him a friend?" asked Peter.

"Yes," said Raven, looking back up.

"Then you have love for him," said Peter. "You can't be friends with someone you don't feel some love for."

"But I don't feel real love for him," said Raven. "Shouldn't I love the man I marry?"

Peter sighed and took Ravens hands. "Raven, you know I love you," he said. "And you know that I only want the best for you. And I know what's best for you, and that's Paul. Please, accept his proposal."

"Grandfather, how can I marry someone I don't love?" asked Raven.

"You will learn to love him," said Peter. "Or you will find that you already love him and are too stubborn to accept it. If you marry Paul, you won't have to be a superhero anymore, you can be near us, and you'll be happy."

"But…" said Raven, her mind racing.

"Your mother never listened to a word we, her parents, said," said Peter, sadly. "She refused to accept our help and preached that she knew what was right for her. I don't want you to end up like her, Raven. I don't want to lose you. So far, everything we've told you has been for the best. How is this any different?"

Paul sat alone in the restaurant, a small velvet box in his pocket. His leg was shaking nervously and he kept ringing his sweating hands. He looked up and saw Peter and Raven walk back into the restaurant and over to the table. He stood up politely and then all three sat down.

"Paul," said Raven, taking in a deep breath. "I… accept your proposal."


	21. A Missed Chance

**AN: Nope, no ownership yet… deal with it**

**A Missed Chance**

Once Raven left Beast Boy went up to the guest bedroom and locked the door so her grandparents couldn't come in and threaten him. He popped his new CD into his player and grabbed his new comic book. But, as much as he tried to get his mind off of her, he just couldn't. The thought of her being forced to go out with that guy killed him inside. He knew she didn't like him, not any more than a friend, anyway. She didn't look at Paul the way she looked at him. Didn't that count for anything?

The hours passed and he was quite bored. He had done everything he could possibly do in the room. He turned into a fly and took a whip around the house to see what was going on. Nothing much, that was for sure. He sat on a window for a while, waiting for Raven to come home.

Finally, she did come home and he flew back up to his room and changed back. He grabbed his comic book and sat on his bed, trying to look like he had been in there all day. He listened intently and heard the door open and close. He heard some muffled speaking and then he heard someone coming up the stairs. After what seemed an eternity a hand knocked on his door.

"Come in," he said, trying to hide how happy and excited he was. The door opened and he saw her. He smiled widely and said, "I was wondering when you were coming back. How was it?"

"It was… fine," said Raven with a small smile, but he could see that there was something wrong.

"Are you okay?" he asked, standing up.

"Uh… yeah, I'm fine," she said with a fake smile.

"You don't seem fine," he said, going over to her. "What's going on? Did he do something to you? I swear, if he did anything I'll…"

"No, he didn't do anything," said Raven.

"Then what's wrong?" he asked again.

"Beast Boy, I'm… I'm… engaged," she said, looking to the floor. She then looked up and smiled sadly. "Isn't that great?"

Beast Boy stared at her, his eyes wide. His breath had caught in his throat and he suddenly couldn't remember how to breathe. He looked down at her hand and saw the ring. "W-what?" he finally peeped.

"Paul proposed on the date," said Raven, playing with the ring that now hugged her finger.

"And… you accepted?" he asked, shocked.

"Yes," said Raven, nodding, but not looking him in the eye.

"But… but you've only known him for a few months," said Beast Boy. "I didn't even know you were dating!"

"Neither did I," said Raven, sadly. She quickly snapped out of it and tried to act happy. "But he's a really good person and I'm happy to be marrying him."

"Wait a second," said Beast Boy, growing upset. "This morning you didn't want to go out with him at all. Now you're gonna marry him?!"

"It's not that I didn't want to go with him," said Raven, unable to look him in the eyes. "I just wanted to spend some time with you."

"No, you didn't want to go with him," said Beast Boy. "I could tell."

"It doesn't matter if I did or didn't at the time," said Raven. "I did go and now I'm his fiancé."

"But you don't have to be!" said Beast Boy. "He didn't force you to be his fiancé, right? You can choose not to do this."

"That's the thing, Beast Boy," said Raven, looking at the floor. "I _do_ choose to do this. Please don't get upset. Paul is a perfect match for me. And I was going to get married sooner or later."

"But why's it sooner and not later?" he asked, his voice growing louder. "I mean, oh my God, you're engaged?!" He began pacing back and forth like a trapped tiger. "To him! To that… that… argh!" He growled and grabbed his head in frustration. "I can't believe this!"

"Beast Boy, please calm down," said Raven in a calm voice. "I know this is sudden and certainly unexpected, but I need you to be happy for me."

"How can I be happy?" he almost yelled.

"Hey, what's going on up there?" Peter called as he came up the stairs. He quickly made his way to the guest bedroom where he saw the two. "Who was yelling?"

"I wasn't yelling," said Beast Boy, clenching his fists. "I was expressing how much I totally don't approve of Raven marrying that guy."

"Well, that's not for you to say," said Peter, firmly.

"Yeah, it's for _her_ to say," said Beast Boy. "And somehow I doubt she wants to marry him at all, sir."

"And just what are you saying, Garfield?" asked Peter, crossing his arms.

"Beast Boy, please," Raven begged him before he said something he would regret.

"I'm saying that I think you're making her marry that guy," said Beast Boy, getting in Peter's face. "She's a grown woman and she can make decisions on her own!"

"Young man, if you don't control your temper I will be forced to see you out of this house," said Peter.

"Forget it!" said Beast Boy. "I'm out of here." He grabbed his bags and began to fill them with his belongings."

"Beast Boy, don't be like this," said Raven, trying to stop him.

"You know, I've been trying to for months to prove that they were controlling you," said Beast Boy has she shoved his things into his bags. "And now I have all the proof I need. And the worst part is that you're just gonna accept it." He zipped his bags up, grabbed them, and pushed his way past her.

"Beast Boy I know you're upset, but I don't want you to leave!" she said, about to following after him. But her grandfather stopped her.

"Let him go," said Peter. "If he doesn't want to be happy for you, then let him leave."

"But, he's my friend," said Raven.

"That's right," said Peter. "He's _just_ a friend."

Beast Boy got out of there as quickly as he could. He couldn't believe this was happening. Raven was engaged, and to Paul no less! Now what was he going to do? He had thought he'd had all the time in the world to make his move. To ask her if she wanted to hang out with just him. To see if she would possibly want to go out on a date. To kiss her out of his dreams and hold her like a lover. Now he would never have that chance. He had lost her. She was taken.

As his little T-ship took off he felt tears falling down his cheeks. He clenched his teeth and ignored them. If she was going to let her grandparents control her, then let them. He was done trying to save her. This was her choice now. She was old enough to think for herself. She must have wanted to marry Paul. Raven had never been forced to do something she didn't want to do.

Now Raven sat in her room, her door locked to keep all the people who cared about her away. Tears poured from her eyes and she lay in her bed. She didn't want to marry Paul. Yes, he was nice. Yes, he was sweet. Yes, he was in love with her. But he wasn't the one she loved. He wasn't the one she was in love with.

She grabbed the necklace around her neck and held it close to her heart. She knew he was flying home at that very moment. She knew he was going to tell her friends the second he walked through those tower doors. She knew they'd be shocked as well, but not as shocked as he had been.

A soft knock was made on her door. She wiped her eyes and said, "I don't want to talk right now."

"I know, dear, but I would really like to have a word with you," said Mary. Raven sighed and sat up. She unlocked the door with her powers and watched as her grandmother opened it. She had a kind smile on her face, and maybe even excited. "How are you?"

"I've been better," said Raven, sniffling.

Her grandmother took a seat next to her and wrapped her arm around her. "Oh, Raven, I'm so happy!" she said, hugging her.

"You're happy that my best friend just stormed out of here?" she asked, more tears falling from her eyes.

"No, I'm happy you're going to marry Paul," said Mary. "Your friend left?"

"Yes," said Raven, getting up and grabbing a tissue to blow her nose. "I told him that I was engaged and he flipped out."

"Oh, that's too bad," said Mary. "But, maybe it's for the best. After all, you're going to be leaving that life behind you anyway."

"But, I don't want to leave my friends," said Raven. "They're all I've got."

"Not anymore," said Mary. "We're all you've got now, sweetheart. And we're going to make you so happy."

"But… but I was happy before," said Raven, feeling more tears fall.

Her grandmother stood up and wrapped her arms around Raven. "It's okay," said Mary, rocking Raven back and forth. "You'll see, everything's going to be okay. We're not going to leave you, Raven. You're with your family now."

Raven cried even harder. She didn't want to leave the Titans; she loved her life with them. She really didn't want any of this. But, it was for the best. It was for her own good. Paul would love her until the end of his days and she knew he would never leave her or divorce her. He was far too religious to do that. She would be his until the day he or she died. This just caused her to cry more and more.

"I have to go home," said Raven, pulling away from her grandmother.

"You are home, Raven," said Mary.

"No, I have to go home to Jump City," said Raven, going to grab her bags. "I have to tell them I'm engaged. I have to talk to Beast Boy."

"Dear, we have a lot to do here," said Mary. "Now isn't the best time for you to leave."

"No, I _need_ to go home," said Raven. "I'm feeling too overwhelmed right now."

"Raven, please don't go," Mary pleaded. "You may never come back, like your mother."

"I will come back," said Raven. "I just need to see my friends."

"I know that Paul would like to be with you right now," said Mary. "He is, after all, your fiancé."

Raven paused where she was and let that statement sink in. She felt the tears roll down her cheeks again and she said in a shaky voice, "I'd like to be alone right now, if you don't mind."

Her grandmother was about to object, but she could hear the strain in her granddaughter's voice. She silently nodded and left the room. Raven lifted her hand and the door closed and locked again. She fell to her knees and laid her hand and arms on the bed.

A few minutes later she left and headed back for Jump City. Again, her grandparents had tried to talk her out of going, but she had to. She needed to go home. She needed to see him and try to work things out. He had to understand. If he wanted the best for her, he would see that she had to be with Paul.

But, she knew that this was all wrong. She knew that marrying Paul would most certainly make him and her grandparents happy. But not her. But, she didn't want to call off this engagement for nothing. She needed to know how Beast Boy felt. If he could tell her what she hoped and dreamed he could, then she would call all of this off.


	22. Tell Me Why

**AN: Nope, no ownership yet… deal with it**

**Tell Me Why**

Beast Boy lay on his top bunk, looking at the ceiling. He had been home for about an hour and had told his friends about Ravens big news. They were all shocked to hear this, but they were happy for her. They called her grandparents' house, but found that she had left and was coming home. Beast Boy didn't care. He didn't want to see her. If he ever saw her again he'd feel his heart break.

Raven arrived home and made sure to look like she was happy and not being torn up inside. None of her friends knew how she felt about Beast Boy, nor did they know how he felt about her. They had never given them a reason to think that they cared for each other in a way that beyond friendship.

"Oh, Raven, I am so very happy for you!" said Starfire, wrapping her arms around her friend.

"So, when do we get to meet this Paul guy?" asked Cyborg. "He must be some Casanova to have won you."

"I'm sure you'll meet him at the wedding," said Raven with a fake smile.

"I can't believe you came all the way back here," said Robin. "And I can't believe you didn't bring your fiancé with you."

"I just wanted to tell you guys and come home one last time," said Raven.

"One last time?" asked Cyborg.

"Raven, you are leaving us?" asked Starfire.

"Well, I've got a lot of work and preparations for the wedding," said Raven. "And my grandparents want me to stay with them until the wedding. I'm going to have to leave the Titans."

"You don't have to leave the Titans," said Robin. "We'll just station you in Gotham."

"Yeah, I'm sure Batman could use the help," Cyborg chuckled.

"No, you don't understand," said Raven. "I can't be a Titan anymore. My family doesn't want me to be, so I'm quitting."

"Oh," said Robin. "Well, if that's what you really want."

"But I shall miss you!" said Starfire, clasping her hands and tears glistening in her eyes.

"It's not like we'll never see each other again," said Raven, comfortingly. "I'll still come to visit you, I'll just be bringing my… husband with me."

"Whoa, that sounds weird," said Cyborg.

"Yeah, tell me about it," said Raven. "Where's Beast Boy?"

"He's in his room as far as I know," said Robin.

"Good, I need to speak to him," said Raven.

Once she was away from her friends her happy disposition disappeared and she became depressed. She dreaded having to talk to Beast Boy, she knew he was going to be upset. She reached his door and knocked upon it.

"I'm tired, guys, I really don't wanna do anything," he said.

"Beast Boy, it's me," she said.

It went silent for a few seconds. "What are you doing here?" he spat. "I would think you'd want to be with your new fiancé."

"No, I want to be with you," said Raven.

She waited and the door opened and he stood there, looking quite tired. She saw that his eyes were red and she guessed he must have been crying recently. She prayed she wasn't the cause of it, but she knew she was.

"Why would you want to be with me?" he asked. "I'm just your friend, remember?"

"You're not just a friend," said Raven, shaking her head. "You know that."

"No, I don't," said Beast Boy.

A silence grew between them and the tension only fueled the air and gave way to a sickening feeling in their stomachs. Finally, Raven couldn't take it any longer. She needed to know how he felt.

"Beast Boy, I care very much for you," she sighed. "And I know that you're not very supportive of this marriage. I just need to know why."

Beast Boy thought and tried to sort out his mind. "Just… don't get married," he said softly.

"Why?" she asked. "Why not?"

"Cuz… I don't want you to," he said.

"Beast Boy, that's not a good enough reason," said Raven, pressing him on. "Now, why don't you want me to marry Paul?"

"Cuz he's a goody too shoes poser," he growled.

"Fine, why don't you want me to get married at all?" she asked.

Beast Boy's fang bit into his upper lip. Why couldn't he just come out and say it? Why was this so hard? "I just… I don't want you to," he said again.

"That's not good enough," said Raven, frustrated. She needed to hear him say it. If he could say it then she would never go back to Gotham. He just needed to say it. "You need to tell me why you don't want me to." 'Just give me a good reason and I'll call off the wedding,' she thought.

He looked into her eyes and saw that there was something odd in them. It almost looked like she was pleading for him to say it. Like she only needed this one thing and then she would stop this madness. Beast Boy opened his mouth, but nothing came out. He closed it and sighed, looking the ground. He couldn't do it. He couldn't say it. What if she didn't feel the same way? What if this was all some sort of game she was playing? Or her grandparents were playing through her? He couldn't take that chance. So he just stood there, silent.

Raven saw him completely shut down. He wasn't going to say it. He wasn't going to say anything. She looked down and gave a soft laugh. "That's what I thought," she said in a tearful voice. And with that she turned and walked down the hall.

She turned into her room and slid her door shut. She began to cry again and this made her already raw eyes sting from the tears. She gave herself a few minutes to recover, then began to pack everything she owned. She would move in with her grandparents until the wedding. She was done with the Titans. She was done with him. If he had really didn't want her to marry, then he would have said something. She gave him the chance.

Once she was packed she decided to spend a little more time with her friends. Beast Boy stayed in his room the whole time. And she could care less. If he wasn't happy it was his own fault.

"So, when do ya think you're gonna have the weddin?" asked Cyborg.

"I don't know," said Raven, shrugging. "I've only been engaged for a few hours."

"But it's going to be in Gotham?" asked Robin.

"Most likely, since that's where we live," said Raven.

"Oh, Raven, I can not believe you are leaving us and are getting married," said Starfire. "I shall miss you so much. Shall I keep a book of scraps again?"

"No, that won't be necessary," said Raven with a small smile. "I'm not disappearing, I'm just moving to the other side of the country."

"And you're not gonna be a Titan anymore," Cyborg added.

Ravens small smile faded and she sighed. "No, I'm not," she said. "I'm not sure what I'm going to do with myself."

"I'm sure you'll get a job or something," said Robin.

"I'll have to until Paul's book really takes off," said Raven.

"Do you think it will be popular?" asked Starfire.

"I've read it and I think it's great," said Raven. "It's very smart and beautifully written. I'm pretty sure it'll make it to the top of the charts soon."

"We'll each have to buy a copy," said Robin with a smile.

"Where is Beast Boy?" asked Starfire.

"In his room," said Raven, sadly.

"Man, what's wrong with him?" asked Cyborg. "Ever since he came home he's been sulkin in his room."

"He's just mad that it didn't snow much while he was in Gotham," said Raven.

"Really? He's that upset?" asked Robin.

"And why did he come home so early?" asked Starfire. "I thought he was to stay with you in Gotham for the remainder of the week."

"He just couldn't handle my grandparents' rules," said Raven, looking away from them.

"Yeah, that sounds like him," said Cyborg.

"I'm sure they were glad to be rid of him," said Robin.

"That's one way of putting it," said Raven. "Well, I'm going to bed. I'm exhausted and I'll be leaving early tomorrow."

"Must you leave so soon?" asked Starfire.

"Yes, I have much to do," said Raven. "My grandparents didn't even want me to leave, let alone spend the night away from home."

"But this is your home," said Cyborg. "Well, it was, at least. Anyway, go on and get to bed. We'll see you off in the mornin."

"Alright, goodnight you guys," said Raven with a smile and headed back to her empty room.

She sat on her bed for a while, looking around. This was the last night she would spend in her room as Raven of the Teen Titans. The next time she came here she would be Raven Larkin. And, most likely, Paul would be with her. How would she ever be able to come into this tower with Paul if Beast Boy was still here? The tension would be unbearable.

She sighed and lay down. She closed her eyes, but sleep would not come to her, no matter how tired she felt. She realized that she and Beast Boy would never again talk before they went to sleep. Those days were over. She had to push him out of her mind. She had to accept that Paul was the only one who should be on her mind. But he was the last person she wanted to think about.

Beast Boy lay on his bed, where he had been for hours. He didn't feel tired, just sad and depressed. Why did she have to get married? Why did she have to choose Paul over him? Why did she choose her grandparents over the Titans? Why did she have to meet them at all? Why couldn't her grandfather have just kept walking that day? Why did he have to see her and start this whole terrible thing?

He suddenly felt very selfish and sighed. He only wanted Raven to be happy. And, if this was what it took for her to achieve happiness, then he wasn't going to stop her. But then why did she look like she had wanted to be stopped? Why did her eyes look like they were pleading for him to say what he longed to?

There came a knock on his door and he sighed. "Come in," he said, turning his head towards the door.

The door slid open and Cyborg appeared. "Hey man," said Cyborg, walking inside and sliding the door shut. "What's up?"

"Nothing," Beast Boy sighed.

"Why're you so down?" asked Cyborg.

"I dunno," Beast Boy lied.

"Are you upset that Raven's leavin?" he asked.

Beast Boy was quiet for a second then said, "Yeah."

"Don't worry, man," said Cyborg. "It's not like she's dyin or somethin. She's just movin away and gettin married and leavin the Titans and…"

"Okay, I get it!" yelled Beast Boy.

"Look, I know you're upset that she's leavin so soon after she came back," said Cyborg. "But this is her decision."

"Yeah, I know," said Beast Boy, sadly. "But, somehow, I feel like this is all her grandparents doing."

Cyborg sighed and said, "You've gotta stop blamin her grandparents for all of the changes in her life."

"But she didn't change until she met them!" said Beast Boy.

"B, she was plenty changed when she came back to us after five years," said Cyborg. "Maybe she just wasn't don't changin. It is possible."

"Whatever," said Beast Boy. "Think what you want. I think this is all her grandparents' doing."

Cyborg sighed and shook his head. There was just no getting through his thick grass green head. "Well, she's leavin pretty early tomorrow," he said as he headed for the door. "You gonna see her off?"

Beast Boy was quiet for a moment then said, "Naw, I don't have anything to say to her."

"Alright," said Cyborg and he left, shutting the door behind him.

'Nothing to say to her!' his mind screamed at him. 'How can you lie like that? You have plenty to say to her! One thing more important than anything else!'

"Shut up," he said to himself then turned over in his bed.


	23. Not Coming

**AN: Nope, no ownership yet… deal with it**

**Not Coming**

Winter passed and gave way into spring. Raven hadn't been to Jump city in five months now. Of course, she talked to at least one Titan every day over the phone or saw them in her communicator. But that was all. But one Titan she hadn't spoken to or seen since she left. And that was Beast Boy. But that didn't mean he wasn't always on her mind.

The invitations had been sent out two months before and the wedding date was closing in on her. She couldn't believe it was almost time. She had chosen a dress, the napkins, the center pieces, rented a reception hall, and every other little thing needed for a wedding. It seemed like all she ever did was work on the wedding. It kept her mind busy, at least, even if she didn't have any enthusiasm for it.

"I'm really glad we settled on that house," said Paul. "I think it's just right."

"Yes, it seemed very quaint," said Raven as she sat on the couch, reading.

"I'm sure we'll only be in it for a few years, though," said Paul. "After all, it only has two bedrooms."

Raven nodded and went on with her reading. She had learned that she was expected to be a housewife, like her grandmother. Her only job was going to be to keep the house tidy, cook, and raise the children. Paul loved children and wanted as many as Raven could give him. When she first heard all of this she was very much against it. But, as time passed, she grew used to the idea and accepted it. After all, her grandmother led that life and she seemed happy enough.

"I'm going to miss you these next two days," said Paul. To make the even more special they weren't going to see each other until the wedding, in three days. "Will you miss me?"

"Of course," said Raven, not looking up from her book. "I've barely been away from you these past few months."

"Well, at least it's only for two days," said Paul. "Then we'll be together for the rest of our lives."

Raven let out a soft sigh and turned a page in her book. She didn't want to think about the impending event. She was far to overwhelmed to anyway. Everything had seemed to happen so fast. Luckily, whenever she felt like she was going to have a breakdown her family was there for her. And this led her to grow a bit closer to Paul.

Paul wanted to make Raven as comfortable as possible with the whole situation. He could tell that Raven didn't feel exactly what he felt for her. So whenever he had a chance to get close to her and make a connection with her, he would.

But she would never love him. She would never say aloud that she loved him. She would never feel a lovers love for him. Her heart would never belong to him. He knew this. At first, he had believed that with time she could learn to love him. He felt that because he felt so strongly for her, eventually she would feel the same for him. But, as the days, the weeks, and the months passed, he saw that she had no interest in learning to love him. She would be his friend, his companion, but she would never be anything more.

"Hey, I've got to go finish some paperwork on the house," said Paul standing up. "I'll be back for dinner, okay?"

"Okay," said Raven.

He smiled, went over to her, and kissed her on the cheek. She gave him a small, sad, smile and watched him leave. She sighed and put her book down. She felt so lonely. As comforting as her family was, who always seemed to be around her, she just felt alone. She missed her friends, she missed her tower, she missed going out on missions, and most importantly she missed her Beast Boy.

She stood up and headed up to her bedroom. Once she was in she locked her door. She sighed and looked around her room. There were various wedding clippings pinned up here and there. Her grandmother and her would look over various wedding magazines and pick out things they liked. She hated those clippings. They just reminded her of what was to happen. But, soon she would be out of that room and out of that house.

She went over to her vanity and pulled out a small drawer. There lay the necklace. She gently picked it up and went to her bed. She lay down and hold the necklace close to her heart. She felt her chest tighten and tears well into her eyes. She began to weep, as she did every other day when she took the necklace out and lay with it for a little while.

Sometimes she would wonder why she was going through with this. Then she would remember that it was for her grandparents and Paul. Her mother had never listened to her parents and look at what had happened to her. She ended up being tricked into a cult and then deceived into marrying and being raped by Trigon. She didn't want to end up that way. If her mother had only listened to her parents, then maybe she wouldn't have had such a terrible life. Raven didn't want that to happen. She was going to do what her grandparents said. She was going to keep herself safe.

But, even the fact that she knew she was going to be safe couldn't stop the pain that filled her heart. If he had only said something to her, anything, she would have stopped this whole thing. She would have been his if he wanted her. But he couldn't say anything. He couldn't give her a valid reason. And now, here she lay, clasping his gift to her heart and wishing she could somehow escape the life that lay ahead of her.

When she was through with her little breakdown she decided to meditate. She hadn't really had a need to meditate in a long while, since she had felt so content, but now she did it as often as possible. It gave her a reason to get away from them and it gave them a reason to leave her alone. She had explained how her powers worked and now she could see a small tinge of fear in their eyes and they always asked her how she felt. Lord, she hated being feared.

Suddenly she heard her communicator go off and her concentration was broken. She quickly grabbed it from her bureau with her mind and moved it to her hand. She flipped it open and was absolutely shocked to see Beast Boy's face.

"Beast Boy?" she said, shocked, as her concentration was completely broken and she fell to the floor from her place in the air.

"Hi Raven," he said in a plain voice.

"Hi, I haven't spoken to you in… months," she said, getting up and sitting down on her bed. "How've you been?"

"Fine," he said. "I take it your life has been perfect."

"Uh, not perfect, but it's been fine if that's what you're asking," said Raven. "Why haven't you called before?"

"Busy," he said simply. "Look, I just called to tell you I can't make your wedding."

Raven felt a strong pain hit her. "W-what?" she asked. "Why not?"

"Someone needs to stay behind to take care of Jump City," he said. "And since I don't agree with this marriage of yours anyway, I volunteered."

"Oh," said Raven. "Well, I'm sorry to hear that. I would've really liked to see you."

"Yeah, well, duty calls," said Beast Boy.

"Are you sure you can't get someone else to watch over the city?" asked Raven.

"Even if we could, I still wouldn't be coming, Raven," he said in a low voice. "I'm not going to go and watch you make the biggest, stupidest mistake of your life."

Raven felt tears well in her eyes. "How dare you say that to me?" she said, clearly getting upset. "If you think what I'm doing is such a big mistake then why can't you give me a good reason not to do it?"

"I shouldn't have to!" said Beast Boy. "You should be able to see that what you're doing is wrong."

"Then pretend that I can't see that what I'm doing is wrong," said Raven. "Tell me right now why you so object to my wedding!"

"I just do, okay!" he said. Now he was as upset as her. "Can't you just take my word for it? Why can you do whatever your grandparents say, people you've only known for less than a year, but not me? I've known you for over half a decade!"

"Don't you bring them into this," she threatened, tears still pouring from her eyes. "Whenever things aren't going your way you always blame them!"

"Because it's their fault!" said Beast Boy. "Can't you see how much they've changed you? They've made you wear real clothes, they've made you start going to church, they've made you give up being a Titan, they've made you move to Gotham, and in two days they're making you marry some guy you haven't even known for a year!"

"They haven't made me do anything, Beast Boy!" she screamed, causing the pillows on her bed to explode. "I've chosen to do everything I've done. I take complete responsibility for my life."

"You may take responsibility, but that doesn't mean you have any control of it!" said Beast Boy.

"I can't go through this with you anymore," said Raven, wiping her eyes. "I'm sorry if you don't agree with what I'm doing with my life, but the least you can do is be happy for me and show your support."

"Well, I can't do that," said Beast Boy. "Look, I just called to tell you I'm not coming, not to fight with you. Have fun ruining your life."

"Goodbye Beast Boy," she cried and shut her communicator.

Beast Boy watched as the screen fizzled. He closed his own communicator and sat there for a second. Then he growled and threw it against his bedroom wall, shattering it. He grabbed his head and tried to calm down. He was so angry; angry with her, angry with himself. Just plain angry.

He heard a knock on his door and then the sound of it sliding open. "Uh, Beast Boy, you're communicator just went offline," said Robin.

"Yeah, it just broke," said Beast Boy.

Robin cocked an eyebrow and looked around. He saw the shattered communicator lying on the ground. "Just broke, huh?" he said, looking at the many pieces that had once formed the communicator. "You mad about anything are you? Look, I told you that you don't have to stay behind. You should come to the wedding."

"No, I'm not going to that wedding," said Beast Boy, firmly. "I don't agree with it, so I'm not gonna go and show my support, which I have none of."

"What's your big deal with Raven marrying this Paul guy?" asked Robin.

"I just don't like him," said Beast Boy. "And neither does she."

"Beast Boy, I very much doubt Raven would marry a guy she doesn't like," said Robin.

"She'll do whatever her grandparents tell her to do," said Beast Boy through his teeth.

Robin sighed and said, "Well, I'll have Cyborg make you a new communicator. Just, next time you get angry, don't take it out on the equipment."

"Whatever," said Beast Boy.

Robin shook his head and left Beast Boy in his room. He made his way back to the common room where he found Starfire attempting to cook like Raven, and, once again, failing horribly. Cyborg was flipping through the channels on the couch.

"So what happened to grass stain's communicator?" asked Cyborg.

"He broke it," said Robin. "He threw it against the wall for some reason."

"Why would he do such a thing?" asked Starfire as she quickly mixed some concoction in a bowl.

"He's angry about something," said Robin. "And my guess is that it's got something to do with Ravens wedding."

"I can't believe he's not gonna go," said Cyborg. "Those two were like best friends for a while there."

"Well, he doesn't believe in her wedding, so he's expressing his opinion by not going," said Robin.

"But he should go to make Raven happy," said Starfire. "I am sure she wants him to come."

"Well, we all know how stubborn Beast Boy can be," said Robin. "He's going to regret it, but he's old enough to make his own mistakes, just like the rest of us."

"Maybe we should try talkin him into comin again," said Cyborg.

"No, he's made up his mind," said Robin. "And maybe if we just ignore the topic entirely, use a little reverse psychology, he'll start thinking about coming again."

"Well, unfortunately, he does have a simple enough mind for that to work on," Cyborg chuckled.

"Robin, will you taste this to see if it is correct?" asked Starfire. Robin shuddered and Cyborg was glad he wasn't her boyfriend.


	24. The Roth x Larkin Wedding

**AN: Nope, no ownership yet… deal with it**

**The Roth x Larkin Wedding**

The day had arrived. She had hoped it would never actually come, but it had. Her wedding day. A day she thought she'd never have of her own. A day she had secretly dreamed of, and now feared. This was the day everything became official and her new life as a normal person would begin.

Now she stood in her dressing room in the back of the church. The aisles were filling up and it was a very comical sight. One side was filled with average looking people, and the other were all superheroes but for Ravens grandparents.

She looked in the mirror and saw how beautiful she looked. Her white dress was not frilly or puffy, but sleek and elegant. Her long hair was up and for the first time in a long while off of her shoulders. In her hand she held a bouquet of blue roses. She did look beautiful, but that did not make her happy. She found it very hard to feel happy on this day.

She bowed her head and tears began to course down her cheeks and drip onto her bouquet. She was lucky her makeup was water proof or she'd be in trouble. She couldn't help but cry. Her heart was to be broken on her wedding day.

"Raven, why do you weep?" Starfire asked as she entered the room. She was her maid of honor and wore a light blue dress.

"Oh, it's nothing," said Raven with a fake smile as she wiped her eyes.

"It is your wedding day, a most happy of events," said Starfire. "Why do you cry?"

"I… I just wish all of my friends were here today," Raven sighed.

Starfire went to her friend and comfortingly placed a hand on her shoulder. "You are upset that Beast Boy did not come, correct?" she asked.

Raven nodded and sniffled. "I just can't believe he would do this to me," said Raven.

"We are all certain that he is making a mistake," said Starfire. "But you must not think about Beast Boy, today. He is not the one you are going to marry."

Raven couldn't help but break down and she quickly sat down in a nearby chair. Starfire hated seeing her poor friend so upset on a day that should be nothing but joyous. She quickly went off to find some tissues, leaving Raven a little more privacy to weep.

* * *

It hadn't taken him long. His friends hadn't even been gone an hour when it all finally hit him. Raven was getting married today. She was going to be Paul's wife and that meant she would only be his friend. She _could_ only be his friend. And that's what finally snapped him out of it.

He quickly ran to the garage to take his T-ship, but the others had taken the whole vehicle instead of just their individual compartments. Now he needed a way to get to Gotham city, and he only had five hours before the wedding. He would have to grab the next flight, which meant he had to scramble down to the Jump City Airport.

* * *

Raven dried her eyes and took a big breath in. After all, it wasn't going to be that bad. She was going to marry someone who would love and take care of her the rest of her life. Who could be unhappy with that outcome? True, she would never love him, but he would still love her. She was playing it safe, which was what her grandparents wanted.

The door to her dressing room opened and revealed her grandfather, who was going to walk her down the aisle. He smiled and walked in, closing the door behind him.

"You look beautiful," he said.

"Thank you," said Raven with a small smile.

"Well, the church is full," said Peter. "Looks like everyone showed up."

"Almost everyone," Raven sighed.

"Well, everyone who matters showed up," said Peter. "And Paul is waiting for you."

"I'm guessing that means it's time," said Raven.

"Yes," said Peter smiling softly. He took her hand and led her out of the dressing room. All of the bridesmaids and groomsmen were paired up and ready to proceed. The music began to play and one by one the pairs moved down the aisle. Her grandfather wrapped his arm around hers and they waited their turn.

* * *

Beast Boy could finally feel the plane descending. He was so glad. He couldn't get a seat on any of the flights that were heading to Gotham that day, so he decided to be a stowaway. He found the next available flight, turned into a flea, and caught a ride on some luggage.

From there he found himself in the bowels of the airplane, which turned out to be extremely uncomfortable. Once the plane was off the ground he had changed back to normal and made himself a bed of the softer luggage. He wished there had been some pets traveling, so at least he could have someone to talk to. But there were no animals on this flight. Just him and a bunch of heavy, uncomfortable luggage.

He covered his poor sensitive ears as the plane touched down and came to a stop on the runway. It was over, and he had never been so thankful to be back on the ground. After a few minutes he heard the doors the luggage compartment open and he turned back into a flea and grab onto someone's bag.

It seemed forever until they were finally in the airport. He saw all the people waiting for the luggage and he knew he was in the right place. He turned into a fly and flew out of there and into the bathroom. He changed back to normal then exited as quickly as he could.

He made it outside and looked around. He was in Gotham. Now he had to find the church. He turned into a hawk and flew high into the air. And then he saw it, the steeple. He flew as quickly as he could towards it, already knowing that he might have been too late.

* * *

Ravens heart was racing a mile a minute. Starfire and Paul's best friend started off down the aisle and that meant in a few seconds she and her grandfather would be going next. The music swelled and together they stepped into the church. Everyone was standing and looking at Raven, smiling and whispering to each other about how beautiful she looked. Peter was smiling proudly; glad to be giving his granddaughter away to such a wonderful man.

Raven seemed to be the only one who wasn't smiling. She knew that she was required to, but as hard as she tried, she just couldn't bring herself to do it. She couldn't even look up. She looked at the carpet below her and slowly made her way down the aisle, a solemn look on her face.

* * *

Beast Boy landed in front of the church and caught his breath. He looked on the message board and saw that it read, "Roth x Larkin Wedding". He was at the right church, thank God!

He ran up the steps and was about to open the door, when he felt someone stop him and pull him back.

"Whoa there, buddy," said man in a tux. "Where do you think you're going?"

"I have to get in there," said Beast Boy.

"Sorry, pal, but the ceremony is already in progress," said another man, who was also in a tux. "And we've been instructed to keep anyone who isn't on the guest list out."

"I'm on the guest list!" said Beast Boy, knowing he was running out of time.

The men sighed and one pulled out a clipboard with a long list of names. "Name?" he asked.

"Bea-Garfield Logan," he said, feeling sick that they might already be saying their I do's."

The man looked down the list and shook his head, "Sorry, you're not here."

"What? I have to be!" Beast Boy yelled. "I got an invitation! Let me see that." He wrestled the clipboard away from the man and looked it over. His name was right there. "See? I'm right here."

"Sir, I'm sorry, but you've been red flagged," said the other man.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" asked Beast Boy.

"It means that the grandfather of the bride would feel much better if you didn't interrupt this wedding," said the man.

* * *

Raven finally looked up and saw Paul, smiling and looking the happiest he had ever been. She was only five feet away from him. They stopped and her grandfather lifted her veil and gave her a kiss on the cheek. He then motioned to Paul, who put his hand out to take Ravens. Slowly one of her hands let go of her bouquet and went to place itself in Paul's hand. She could just feel the heat of his palm when…

"RAVEN!"

Everyone jumped and turned towards the back of the church. Raven spun around and saw Beast Boy standing in the doorway of the church. Two men came up behind him and tried to tackle him and drag him out, but Beast Boy wouldn't have it. He quickly threw them off and began running down the aisle.

Ravens bouquet fell from her hands and she turned completely around and began to go towards Beast Boy. Peter quickly grabbed her arm and stopped her.

"Raven, no!" he said firmly.

Raven looked at him for a second, then frowned and gave him a small blast of her powers, sending him stumbling back from her. She then turned back towards Beast Boy and began running towards him.

Everyone watched as the two ran to each other. Raven quickly jumped into his arms and the two shared their first kiss. And what a kiss it was! It exploded from them and screamed of the love and passion they had felt for each other and had been keeping within their hearts this whole time. They didn't care if everyone was staring at them, confused and shocked. This moment was for them, no one else. And the best part was that it wasn't a dream.

Finally they broke apart, but Beast Boy had no intention of putting her down. "Don't marry him," he said, out of breath.

"Why?" asked Raven.

"Because… I love you," he said, feeling a great weight lift off of him.

Raven smiled and felt more tears fall from her eyes. "That's all I needed to hear," she said and kissed him again.

"I love you," he said through their kisses.

"I love you too," she said against his lips, crying with happiness.

Everyone watched as the two continued to kiss and hold each other. Everyone wondered what was going on, but not as much as their three best friends who felt even more confused than the rest.

"Uh… did you guys know about this?" asked Cyborg.

"No, I did not," said Starfire with wide eyes as she watched the two.

"Me neither," said Robin.

"Raven!" Peter yelled, going over to them, as did her grandmother and Paul. They pulled apart and Beast Boy finally put Raven down, but he kept his arms protectively around her. "What are you doing?"

"I'm sorry, I can't go through with this," said Raven. "Paul, I'm sorry, I can't marry you."

"Did I do something wrong?" asked Paul, innocently.

"Raven, this is ridiculous," said Peter.

"You're making a scene!" said Mary.

Peter grabbed Ravens hand and tried to pull her away from Beast Boy. "This is the best thing for you," he said. "I'm not going to let you make the biggest mistake of your life."

"Yeah, well neither am I!" said Beast Boy, grabbing Ravens other hand.

"You don't know what's best for her," Peter growled. "She's my granddaughter and I'll tell her who she can and can't love. _I_ will tell her how to live her life!"

Raven stared at her grandfather for a second and the room went very quiet. She pulled her hand out of his and stepped back from him. Beast Boy just shook his head and laughed.

"I knew it," he said.

"All this time, he was right," said Raven. "You _have_ been controlling my life. Well not anymore! I'm going to follow _my_ heart and do what _I_ want to do. Now I know why my mother ran away in the first place. You were controlling her life! Well, I'm not going to make the mistakes she made, but I _am_ going to follow her example. Goodbye!"

She grabbed Beast Boy's hand and the two quickly ran out of the church, leaving Peter, Paul, and Mary speechless. This had certainly turned into an almost wedding no one would ever forget.


	25. Epilogue

**AN: Nope, no ownership yet… deal with it**

**Epilogue**

Raven never wanted to leave home again. She never felt as comfortable as she did when she was in the tower. It was where she was meant to be. And she never wanted to leave this life again. She was meant to save lives, to be a hero, to be a Titan. Evidently, she was also meant to be a cook. That was probably one of the very few things she was thankful for from her grandmother.

She hadn't really spoken to them since that day. They had attempted to speak over the phone, but every conversation ended with her grandparents trying to manipulate her into coming back. She wasn't going to be fooled so easily this time. And whenever she began to feel guilty or sad for them, Beast Boy would intervene and stop her before she let them take over.

The one person she did patch things up with was Paul. She explained to him that she was very sorry, but she couldn't in good conscience marry him if she didn't love him. And, after a little while of talking, Paul did understand and he wished her happiness with Beast Boy. She wished the same for him and they parted ways, or hung up the phone.

It took a while, but slowly she was getting used to her old life, again. She was sick of leaving it and she promised herself that this time she was home to stay. Nothing could force her to leave.

"Beast Boy, it's not done yet!" Raven yelled and pushed him out of the kitchen. She was back to wearing her white uniform, which she had missed terribly. She now only wore normal clothes when she went out with Beast Boy or to bed.

"But it smells so good," he whined as he was forced out.

"It is not done cooking so please leave it alone," said Starfire, who was taking a cooking lesson from Raven.

"Why does it take so long for things to cook?" he grumbled as he left the kitchen area.

"It only takes a long time if you do it right," said Raven. "Now go play your video games or something."

"Yes mother," said Beast Boy, rolling his eyes and going over to the couch, where Robin and Cyborg were already playing against each other in a video game.

"Raven, do I now add the glorg?" asked Starfire.

"For the last time, Starfire, glorg is not needed in this recipe," Raven sighed. "Or _any_ recipe for that matter. Just keep mashing those potatoes. Just don't break the bowl this time."

"I shall do my best," said Starfire with a smile as she worked on the potatoes.

Meanwhile, Beast Boy was waiting his turn to use one of the controllers. Cyborg and Robin weren't planning on losing anytime soon to give him one, either.

"Man, I can't believe you've used up all of your Raven Cooking Coupons already," said Cyborg.

"Well, I couldn't help it," said Beast Boy as he stretched out. "I love her cooking that much! Besides, she's my girlfriend and if I want her to cook for me all I have to do is ask nicely."

"I still can't believe you and Raven are a couple," said Cyborg, shaking his head.

"Yeah, that came out of nowhere," said Robin.

"Oh would you guys get over it already!" Beast Boy laughed. "We've been together for two months now."

"It's still weird," said Cyborg.

"Yes, we did not know that you had the feelings for each other until the wedding," said Starfire.

"Well, we did our best to hide our feelings from you as well as each other," said Raven as she set the table.

"Raven, have I done a good job?" asked Starfire as she showed Raven the mashed potatoes.

"Yes, they look fine," said Raven with a smile, even if they did look a little too well mashed. "Bring the bowl out to the table."

"Are we eating now?" asked Beast Boy excitedly.

"No, not yet," Raven sighed.

"Raven, I believe your rolls of bread are done," said Starfire, looking in the oven.

"I'll get them," said Raven, reaching into the oven and pulling out the tray. She then put all the rolls in a basket and handed it to Starfire. "Here, put these out as well."

"Are we eating _now_?" asked Beast Boy.

"No," said Raven, glaring at him. "Not yet."

"Man, Raven, you sure are patient," Cyborg laughed.

"I'm doing my best," said Raven as she took a large tray of chicken thighs and breasts out of the oven. "You'd be surprised how patient you learn to be after going to church for a while."

"Are you still going to church?" asked Robin.

"Yes, I just go to a very early mass so you guys don't miss me," said Raven. "I've found that church is very fulfilling and it helps me feel better about myself. Now that I'm pure I don't want to think about anything evil."

"But isn't that what they talk about in church?" asked Cyborg.

"No, they tell us how to prevent ourselves from going to Hell," Raven laughed. "Anyway, I'm actually glad I joined. If you want dinner then come sit down."

Raven barely had a chance to finish her sentence before Beast Boy was in his seat, ready to eat. She rolled her eyes and went back into the kitchen. The two girls began to bring the rest of the marvelously good smelling foods out to the table.

"Tofu, tofu, tofu!" Beast Boy said excitedly as he waited for Raven to bring his tofu chicken out.

"You know, Beast Boy, you're starting to get a tummy," said Raven as she set the plate of tofu in front of him.

"I am not!" said Beast Boy, looking down at his stomach. It wasn't exactly a tummy, but it wasn't as ripped as it had been. "Okay, I'm getting a little squishy, it's not that bad."

"Your suits starting to stretch," said Raven, sitting down with everyone else.

"It is not!" said Beast Boy, growing upset as everyone at the table began to snicker.

Raven always enjoyed watching her friends eat. Once they began it grew very quiet and all that could be heard was chewing. Raven never felt very proud of herself for her talents, but cooking she was allowed to. And she was tutoring each of the Titans, so that she wouldn't have to cook every night.

"Hey, Raven, can you believe you came back just a year ago?" asked Cyborg after he swallowed.

"No, I can't," said Raven.

"Has it really been a year?" asked Robin.

"Yeah," said Beast Boy. "It'll be an exact year on Friday."

"You remember the precise date?" asked Starfire.

"Well, yeah," said Beast Boy. "I mean, it was a special day."

Raven let a small smile grace her face. She found him to be very cute sometimes. They may have been together for two months but they were still a little shy around each other sometimes, as are all new relationships. They just didn't want to do the wrong thing and ruin what they had. That was their biggest fear.

But, they went together better than anyone could have thought. Not that anyone had ever pictured them together in the first place. It had taken a very long time for the other three Titans to accept that they were together and that they loved each other. Like they had said, it came out of nowhere for them.

After dinner Raven and Starfire made the boys do the dishes so they could relax for a little while. That was the only catch to Ravens meals; she wasn't going to do the dishes. Plus, she liked to listen to the men grumble about washing the dishes. Even with the dishwasher they needed to do a bunch by hand.

While the men were busy with the dishes Raven decided to go up to the roof to watch the sunset and the stars come out. She knew she wouldn't be there alone for long, but she would at least have a few minutes alone. So she made her way up to roof.

It was a little cool out, but it was still warm. She crossed her legs and levitated into the air. A soft wind blew past and made her cloak bellow. She smiled softly and let the warm dying light warm her and soak into her pale skin. She had missed doing this for so long, she made sure she to make a trip up to the roof every night. She looked up and saw the stars just revealing themselves.

"Now, how did I know you'd be up here?" she heard a familiar voice chuckle behind her.

"I'm only here every night," she smirked. "If you hadn't caught on by now I'd be worried."

Beast Boy laughed and went over to her. He came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. Raven touched down, so that they could stand together. This was something they always loved to do; watch the sunset together. They both smiled and soaked in the moment.

"Raven?" he asked.

"Hmm?" she answered.

"I love you," he said, kissing her cheek.

She smiled and hugged his arms closer to her. Then she thought for a moment and asked, "Why did it take you so long to tell me that?"

Beast Boy went quiet for a second then shrugged. "I don't know," he said. "I guess I was afraid."

"Afraid of what?" she asked.

"Afraid that you didn't feel the same way about me," said Beast Boy. "Afraid that if I told you that I loved you you would tell your grandparents and they would keep me from seeing you. Just a number of reasons."

"Beast Boy," she said turning around so they could be face to face, "you know that I feel emotions. I knew the whole time how you felt about me. If I hadn't liked it, I would have told you. I would have said that I didn't feel that way about you and that you needed to get over me."

"Yeah, I guess you would have," said Beast Boy, smiling softly. "Boy, do I wish I had figured that out sooner."

"You're telling me," said Raven, smirking. "You sure cut it close."

"Yeah, I know," he said, rolling his eyes. "And you're never gonna let me live that down, are you?"

"Not until you do something else I can hold over you," she said with a smile and kissed him. He kissed her back and held her close to him.

"The truth is, for a while I wasn't sure what I was feeling for you," said Beast Boy. "It was so weird, you know at first, to have these feelings for you. Especially after not seeing you for five years. And then, when you started spending more and more time in Gotham I realized that I didn't want you to be away anymore. But, even then, I still couldn't figure out why. I'm sorry it took me so long."

"It took me a while to figure out my feelings for you as well," said Raven. "And, like I said a year ago, if you just take the time, you can see things you'd usually overlook."

"Well, I'm never gonna over look you again," he said kissing her. "Now, come on, you have to serve dessert." He took her by the hand and began leading her inside.

"Dessert?" whined Raven. "Why can't you just have cookies?"

"Unless you've made them, no way," said Beast Boy. "This was my last coupon and it said a full meal and that includes dessert."

"Alright, if you want to became a green pudge ball, then I'll make you dessert," Raven sighed as they made their way down from the roof.

"Oh, yeah, that's right," he said, looking down at his stomach. "Okay, maybe you can just make me something that's not really fattening."

"I don't think I know how," Raven laughed. "Unless you want some jell-o."

"No, I want something with substance!" said Beast Boy. "Okay, make something full of butter and fat and sugar and I'll go on a diet tomorrow."

"Great, now I have to learn to cook healthier," Raven sighed.

"Hey, just think of it as a way to expand your cooking knowledge," said Beast Boy, wrapping an arm around her.

"Oh joy," said Raven, rolling her eyes sarcastically. But she couldn't help smiling at him. She got a little closer to him and he held her tighter as they walked. She knew for sure that this was where she was meant to be. This was who she was meant to be with.

**The End**

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